Group: Film Noir Research

Themes

Film noir normally refers to dark Hollywood crime dramas that normally emphasise moral ambiguity and sexual motivation, most of the classic Hollywood noir's occurred around the 1940's - late 1950's. Film noir's are often set in a pessimistic world that is full of corruption, it is generally considered to be linked with the general Hollywood atmosphere at the time when a pre-war America was still full of anxiety and depression.

Visual Techniques

A classic film noir convention is an incredibly low-key lighting scheme, most of the contemporary pictures were already in black and white but they also emphasised the use of dark/light contrasts and shadows cast upon a set which has become iconic of the genre. Characters would normally be partially obscured by darkness and surrounded by shadows. Film noir is also known for its use of Dutch angles, low-angle shots and wide angle lenses when framing shots. Also frequently used were shots seen through distorted objects, curved or frosted glass, and shots reflected in a mirror.

Narrative

Film noir's tended to have non-linear or convoluted story lines that would frequently flashback, or flash-forward, and have a narrative voice-over from the protagonist. Narratives generally focused on crime, heist's, cons, false suspicions, double-crosses and false accusations.

Characters

Noir protagonists were often morally flawed, misunderstood, or full of existential angst. There are also stock characters such as detectives corrupt policemen and jealous husbands.