A Discussion on Film Noir and its Conventions.

Film Noir literally means “Black Film”. It is a cinematic term for a style of film making that was Established after the second world war, originally in france. It reached its peak in the early 1940’s till the late 1950’s and was used primarily to describe Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that centre on cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Film noir of this era is associated with a low-key black-and-white visual style that has roots in German Expressionist cinematography. Film Noir was first applied to Hollywood films by Nino Frank a French Critic in the 40’s. Despite much of Film Noir being seen as a Type of film, it is still debated about as to weather it is a distinct genre or just a style of film making. Film Noir is often more widely identified as a visual style, that emphasizes low-key lighting and unbalanced compositions. In film Noir we expect to see a lot of the typical conventions of the style of film, such as Low key Lighting, sinister characters (usually the main character being a white middle aged male). Props such as Hats and Cigarettes are used commonly in Film Noir. Wearing a hat in the time that these films were made was expected if you were an upstanding gentleman, this was not the case if you went without a hat. These props are commonly used to hide behind, in many cases a man will be covering part of his face with a hat, in a long coat. This gives the character a mysterious and dangerous look. Cigarettes are a common occurrence with most characters in Film Noir. Especially Femme Fetal style characters. Most of the stories of Film Noir are based around crime, lust and murder. An example of a more recent “Neo-Noir” film is Sin City (2005). Which has slightly different conventions to older style film noir but some of the original conventions are still present. The Visual Style of Film Noir is a lot of Low-Key lighting combined with Dramatic shadows. It is also known for its low-angle shots and wide angle lenses. Commonly in Film Noir Story plots we see a lot of Flashbacks and most of the film is usually shot on location. The characters in film noir are often arrogant and isolated; they are never particularly sociable or friendly. Film Noir is a highly recognised style of film making that although has passed its peak is still appreciated in today’s society.