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Film Noirs is a French phrase literally meaning "Black film" and has roots in European films of the 1920s and 1930s, especially German Expressionism films. However, film noir was more popular in America in 1940s and 50s and their storyline were based on books with dark themes such as detective and gangster novels. The characteristics of film noir often employed daring camera angles with lots of shadows and contrast and these films are usually stylish classic crime dramas that revolve around murder, scheming or sexual motives. Film Noir like most genres did consist of sub genres such as Sci-fi and Parodies. Also Film Noir was made during and after the Great depression, which meant that most people instead of going out would stay at home and save money. At this time crime ruled the streets gangsters and crime around every corner and that is the foundation of Film Noir.

The conventions of film noir can be divided into four main sections: such as themes and moods, characters, camera work and Mise-en-scene. With no doubt these sections features that are echoed nowadays in crime thriller movies.

Firstly, film Noir films are generally occupied with many conventional moods and themes because the mood that has been formed is regularly maintained and better by the camera work, characters and mise-en scene.

Mood and themes

Here are some frequently seen moods and themes within film noir.

Enigma (mystery) – Within Film noir a mystery created through a hidden shots or extreme lighting.

Crime Use of props, such as guns and femme fatale destruction.

Gender There is a power difference between male and female

Discovery and suspicion- clues, murder, suspects, cops… harsh bright light for discovery, dark, dim and obscured light in confusion.

Lust- Femme fatal and the other types of women- clothing, lighting

Deceit and Betrayal

Concealment- lighting

Bleak “hard boiled” tone- lighting, facial expressions…

FIL

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Characters

When it comes to characters within film noir there are several characters, but majority of them would consist of 4 key characters. Such as, anti-hero, the Femme Fatal, villain and girl next door.

Anti-hero usually has a corrupt history, however has come out of it as a better man and because of his loneliness in life, he wonders about the rights and wrongs. Anti-hero is normally shown as ex policemen or investigators, journalists.

To an extent to could be said that The 1940s conveyed a major challenge between gender and family roles. The males were combined with the industrial mobilization for the war effort, which therefore made women the primary source of factory workers for the huge number of jobs available. Further to this, the previous female stereotype of the housewife financially dependent on the male was no longer existent. This was called the ‘Rosie-the-Riveter’ syndrome. Soldiers returning from the stresses of war came home to changed and independent women unlike those they had left behind. Ascending from this new male anxiety and eternal male fantasies of women was the ‘femme fatale’, who is usually seen wearing a tight dress high heels and red lipstick and her power is that she lures men in to her secret plots and creates tension or problems between the men in the film and getting herself in danger.

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Numerous of noir villains are shown to be wealthy, socially powerful individuals. Where as with most action or horror films the villains are poor, lower class, or societal outcasts, however, in noir films it is rather conventional to have villains in three piece suits and fur coats, dining in the luxury of creations, and drinking the most expensive drinks and a fancy cigar to someone just before they either conduct some business or have their guest killed. A primary example would be Kasper Gutman, one of the antagonists of the film, The Maltese Falcon, and he is also known as the “Fat Man” for obvious reasons.

The marrying type also known as the girl next door is the innocent, happy girl within a film noir who is opposite to the Femme Fatal and unlike the femme fatale, the marrying woman extremely intimidates to control the hero. She pressures him to fulfil his socially approved role of husband and breadwinner that is a role that he finds limiting, dull, and even brutalising.

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Camera work

Film noir are well known for its use of low-angle, high-angle and Dutch angle shots.

Low-angle is when the camera is positioned low on the vertical axis, often at knee height. This technique is sometimes used in scenes of opposition to illustrate which character holds the higher position of power

High-angle is used in order to show a contrast between the victim and the villain,

Dutch angle shot is also known as the canted angle and it often from a low position that is usually used to help to create a shaking unbalanced feel. Dutch angle shot is originated in 1930s German cinema, causing it to become known as the "Deutsch angle"; this was then corrupted to "Dutch angle". Some examples may start with a normal angle and then shift to a Dutch Angle. Others may start with a Dutch Angle tilted in one direction, and then swivel to tilt the other way, which is even more shaking.

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Other type of disorientation conventional that relatively common in film noir include shots of people reflected in one or more mirrors, shots through curved or frosted glass or other distorting objects, such as during the strangling scene in Strangers on a Train, and special effects sequences of a sometimes bizarre nature.

Looking at the above picture the use of Extra-long shot creates sense of confusing. For instance when you first look at the picture it looks like the woman is being followed, but when look closely you can clearly identify that she is standing behind him. Furthermore, with the use of two characters however, the angel creates space between the two, and with distance, doubt arises as to why there is space between the two.

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Mise-en-sceneThe mise-en-scene is separated into four categories that establish the scenes. They are location, lighting and colour, costume and Props.

Major aspect in creating a successful film noir movie is the location in which it is set. Stereotypical noir settings are:

Location

•Rural locations e.g. warehouses, factories, refineries, abandoned buildings

• Bars, lounges, clubs

• Diners, Gambling dens

• Docks, seaside, promenade

• Urban locations e.g. L.A, New York, San Francisco

• Police station

• Alleyways, empty streets

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Lighting and colours

Within film noir lighting and colour are the biggest factor because the use of contrast colour is vital in highlighting characters and objects. Dark pools of shadow and scattered spots of light are not only used to “highlight” but were also used symbolically. For example In films like ‘The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (1920)‘ the use of canted angles in an already moody and dark atmosphere, highlighted the character’s descent into madness. Film noir worlds aren’t just places that drama happens. The dark, determined environments mirror the internal lives of the characters that live there. It is another character. Soft lights were used on female characters to give them a gentle and non-threatening look, even on the seemingly non-threatening vixen who would turn out to be the film’s femme fatale.

Costume and props

The most common used props within film noir would be a gun. As film Noir takes the dark, mysterious route and ideas in film making, a gun would be the perfect prop to fit in. A gun is a strong simple of power, violence and terror because it holds dominance and status to the owner. There is nothing seen 'good' about owning an armed weapon, and those who are in control who are not in the armed forces are instantly seen to be 'dangerous' people as they have the potential to take and end a life. It’s also what we stereotypically expect to see a gangster in possession of; another Film Noir convention.

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Females are usually seen wearing dresses that reveal their chest and ankles, whereas the man would be wearing smart outfit and hat.