MJ: Film Noir

Film noir is a term used mainly to describe the stylish Hollywood crime dramas around the period of 1940-1950.
A majority of the films tended to focus on moral ambiguity and sexual motivation.
The films depict a world that is inherently corrupt with a pessimistic view.

Film noirs frequently use low-key lighting creating stark light/dark contrasts as well as dramatic shadow patterning.
The shadows cast upon an actor, a wall, or an entire set are an iconic visual for the genre, with characters faces regularly being partially or fully obscured by darkness.
Movies in the genre also use camera techniques that many prefer not to, such as the Dutch tilt, low angle shots and wide-angle shots.
Other techniques are used within these films to disorientate the audience, for example a reflection of a character in more than one mirror and distortion of the camera view, such as through frosted glass or a shower curtain.

The narrative in film noirs is usually based around crime, false suspicions, heists or cons, double-crossers and accusations.
They tend to have unusually convoluted story lines, involving flashbacks and flash-forwards.
A voice over narration, normally from the protagonist, is sometimes used as a structuring device.

Noirs tend to have morally flawed or misunderstood characters.
There is also the appearance of stock characters, such as hardboiled detectives, femme fatales, corrupt cops and jealous husbands.
The femme fatale, well known for having blonde hair, is well known for her changeability and treachery towards characters.
Characterised by her sexual prowess, the femme fatale is introduced when she catches the attention of the protagonist because of her beautiful looks.
She is seen as a powerful woman, yet most femme fatales will be dead by the end of the movie.
The femme fatale has some visual motifs, such as cigarettes with wispy trails of smoke to show unnatural phallic power.

In our vampire opening we have tried to include some of the film noir visual techniques, such as our strong use of low-key lighting, and many wide angle shots.
We aimed to have part of a scene where one character's face is completely obscured in darkness.

Group 4 - Foundation Production