Film Noir Cinema

What is "Film Noir"?

Film Noir is a style of film used from the start of the 1950s, the term 'Film Noir' is french meaning 'film of the night'. These films are presented in black and white which is utilised to emphasis the shadows within the media product but to suggest the lack of happiness in the story as there is no colour shown.

Conventions of Film Noir

• Setting:Film noirs tend to have urban settings such as dark city streets and alley-ways that usually have dark corners and have minimal lighting.

• Lighting:This is certainly the most important aspect that differs this style of film from the rest as it presents the media product with a unique visual aesthetic. Within film noir, lighting is used to the darkness and the shadows in order to create the mood of the scene which tend to be rage,uncertainty and depression.

• Cinematography:Film noirs tend to incorporate various visual codes in their frame such as: smoke,shadows and darkness all used to connate danger and a sense of an evil presence throughout the entire product, giving the film a essence of mystery.

Lighting and meaning

Within film noir, lighting can be used in the frame to convey to the audience meaning by connoting aspects of the character's characteristics as well as foreshadowing fore-coming events.

Within this image from a film noir, lighting has be used to cast a shadow of a crow behind a armed man; connoting the suspicious nature of this gentleman and may bring dangerous intentions towards the story.

Within this image, the lighting has been used to cast a shadow if bars across the female subject within the frame, symbolising the notion of her entrapment. Connoting that the character is psychologically trapped due to various aspects of her life that is yet to be discovered by the audience.

Overall film noir is a remarkably interesting style of cinema that has influenced many codes and conventions that have been applied into sub-genres as well as innovating the visual methods to story-telling.