Detail and find examples key elements.
Look at examples of Film Noirs (list here) from the 40's and 50's and take screen shots of elements discussed in Thursday's Lecture. These screenshots can go onto your blogs with an explanation of the element it is illustrating.
Scenes appear dark, as if lit for night, with many dark shadows
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| The Big Combo (1955) |
This is a classic film noir shot that sees both of the featured characters in shadows. All we see of them is their silouettes as they stand in the foreground, while the background is lit, but is all smoky.
Films done in black and white
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| Citizen Kane (1941) |
Black and white is strongly associated with film noir, particularly in the early days. But not all black and white movies are film noir. This relates to the style the movie is made and the rules structure it follows.
The femme fatale
Femme fatales are often alluring and seductive women who lead men into compromising and often dangerous situations. There is often a mystery surrounding them and they are always beautiful and very commanding when it comes to the dialogue.
Corruption
There are always corrupt characters in film noir who often scheme and manipulate others into get their way. This was something new to cinema as we, the audience, were now unsure which characters were good or bad. It challenged the audience to asses the characters in a new way. The dis-equilibrium is set in the exposition at the beginning and this tends to lead to a new equilibrium as the movie goes on. Noir is typically non-linear in structure.
The femme fatale
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| Gilda (1946) |
Femme fatales are often alluring and seductive women who lead men into compromising and often dangerous situations. There is often a mystery surrounding them and they are always beautiful and very commanding when it comes to the dialogue.
Corruption
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| The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) |
There are always corrupt characters in film noir who often scheme and manipulate others into get their way. This was something new to cinema as we, the audience, were now unsure which characters were good or bad. It challenged the audience to asses the characters in a new way. The dis-equilibrium is set in the exposition at the beginning and this tends to lead to a new equilibrium as the movie goes on. Noir is typically non-linear in structure.
