A man (Walter) is pacing around a dark room, the only light coming from the window, and the wooden beams on the window cause shadows this is a typical film noir characteristic and film noirs are dark and shadowy to create an eerie and tense atmosphere. Walter is doing a voiceover where he is talking about a woman he met, the voice over is synonymous with film noirs it helps us to identify with the character and get inside their heads, it helps to give the audience and sense of connection with the characters, feel their emotions. Then the woman (Phyllis) turns up, her character is the femme fatale character, she is sexy and confident and uses her sexuality to get what she wants this is a typical convention of the film noir genre. When Phyllis comes into the flat and Walter turns on the lights this creates weird shadows again typical of the noir genre. Walter and Phyllis then have a slow and passionate embrace after a small tiff in which Walter says to Phyllis “I’m crazy about you” then she doesn’t say it back, another typical film noir characteristic where the man falls in love with the woman because she makes him but she gives no love in return. Phyllis talks about how she hates her husband and how she dreams of killing him and then as Walter is so in love with her he decides to kill her husband this is a film noir characteristic where the woman seduces a man and then convinces him to commit a crime. While this sequence is happening the weather outside is dull and is set at night and its raining, unpleasant weather is another noiresque feature.
Wednesday 26 November 2008
Double Indemnity- Billy Wilder 1944, 21.57minutes in.
A man (Walter) is pacing around a dark room, the only light coming from the window, and the wooden beams on the window cause shadows this is a typical film noir characteristic and film noirs are dark and shadowy to create an eerie and tense atmosphere. Walter is doing a voiceover where he is talking about a woman he met, the voice over is synonymous with film noirs it helps us to identify with the character and get inside their heads, it helps to give the audience and sense of connection with the characters, feel their emotions. Then the woman (Phyllis) turns up, her character is the femme fatale character, she is sexy and confident and uses her sexuality to get what she wants this is a typical convention of the film noir genre. When Phyllis comes into the flat and Walter turns on the lights this creates weird shadows again typical of the noir genre. Walter and Phyllis then have a slow and passionate embrace after a small tiff in which Walter says to Phyllis “I’m crazy about you” then she doesn’t say it back, another typical film noir characteristic where the man falls in love with the woman because she makes him but she gives no love in return. Phyllis talks about how she hates her husband and how she dreams of killing him and then as Walter is so in love with her he decides to kill her husband this is a film noir characteristic where the woman seduces a man and then convinces him to commit a crime. While this sequence is happening the weather outside is dull and is set at night and its raining, unpleasant weather is another noiresque feature.
A man (Walter) is pacing around a dark room, the only light coming from the window, and the wooden beams on the window cause shadows this is a typical film noir characteristic and film noirs are dark and shadowy to create an eerie and tense atmosphere. Walter is doing a voiceover where he is talking about a woman he met, the voice over is synonymous with film noirs it helps us to identify with the character and get inside their heads, it helps to give the audience and sense of connection with the characters, feel their emotions. Then the woman (Phyllis) turns up, her character is the femme fatale character, she is sexy and confident and uses her sexuality to get what she wants this is a typical convention of the film noir genre. When Phyllis comes into the flat and Walter turns on the lights this creates weird shadows again typical of the noir genre. Walter and Phyllis then have a slow and passionate embrace after a small tiff in which Walter says to Phyllis “I’m crazy about you” then she doesn’t say it back, another typical film noir characteristic where the man falls in love with the woman because she makes him but she gives no love in return. Phyllis talks about how she hates her husband and how she dreams of killing him and then as Walter is so in love with her he decides to kill her husband this is a film noir characteristic where the woman seduces a man and then convinces him to commit a crime. While this sequence is happening the weather outside is dull and is set at night and its raining, unpleasant weather is another noiresque feature.
The History of Film Noir
Back at the start of term we were asked to do research into Film Noir, Here is what i found out.
Film Noir literally means “Black Film” in french and was first termed by a french film critic called Nino Frank in 1946. Film Noir was most prominent after world war II as it focused on anxiety and pessimism that the world war left behind. Most critics feel that Film Noir is more a mood or style of film rather than a genre, Film Noirs typically fall into the crime thriller genre. Film Noir was heavely influenced by French Poets, German expressionists and tough guy writers who created the style which was influenced by hard novels and real life. Film Noir's are typically small "B" movies rather than big blockbusters, with directers such as Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles and Boris Ignster making classic Film Noir's.
Chracteristics of Film Noir
The primary moods of classic Film Noir were downhearted, loneliness, bleakness, confusion, pessimism, moral corruption, evil, guilt, desperation and paranoia.
Film Noirs usually involve crime and murder and a promiscuous woman. There is a “fall guy” a male character who is more morally flawed and more questionable than normal males such as hard-boiled detectives, private eyes and criminals.
There is a “femme fatale” this is a sexy promiscuous female which brings the fall guy or doomed hero into a situation involving murder or crime and she makes him do this via her sexuality. Film Noir films are mostly shot in grays, blacks and whites which shows the dark and inhumane side of human nature with pessimism and doomed love, and they emphasized the brutal, unhealthy, shadowy, dark and sadistic sides of the human nature, the characters are usually mysterious and not much is known about them, the locations are usually grim and dark and typically big cities like in LA Confidential. Locations are usual set in the dead of the night, with shadows, with alleys, with the back doors of fancy places, with apartment buildings (in cities such as LA, New York etc, giving a labyrinth type effect), with taxi drivers and bartenders who have seen it all. For example LA confidential is set in LA, in the 1960’s and shows the dark side of Hollywood and the conspiracies around it.
Film Noir literally means “Black Film” in french and was first termed by a french film critic called Nino Frank in 1946. Film Noir was most prominent after world war II as it focused on anxiety and pessimism that the world war left behind. Most critics feel that Film Noir is more a mood or style of film rather than a genre, Film Noirs typically fall into the crime thriller genre. Film Noir was heavely influenced by French Poets, German expressionists and tough guy writers who created the style which was influenced by hard novels and real life. Film Noir's are typically small "B" movies rather than big blockbusters, with directers such as Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles and Boris Ignster making classic Film Noir's.Chracteristics of Film Noir
The primary moods of classic Film Noir were downhearted, loneliness, bleakness, confusion, pessimism, moral corruption, evil, guilt, desperation and paranoia.
Film Noirs usually involve crime and murder and a promiscuous woman. There is a “fall guy” a male character who is more morally flawed and more questionable than normal males such as hard-boiled detectives, private eyes and criminals.
There is a “femme fatale” this is a sexy promiscuous female which brings the fall guy or doomed hero into a situation involving murder or crime and she makes him do this via her sexuality. Film Noir films are mostly shot in grays, blacks and whites which shows the dark and inhumane side of human nature with pessimism and doomed love, and they emphasized the brutal, unhealthy, shadowy, dark and sadistic sides of the human nature, the characters are usually mysterious and not much is known about them, the locations are usually grim and dark and typically big cities like in LA Confidential. Locations are usual set in the dead of the night, with shadows, with alleys, with the back doors of fancy places, with apartment buildings (in cities such as LA, New York etc, giving a labyrinth type effect), with taxi drivers and bartenders who have seen it all. For example LA confidential is set in LA, in the 1960’s and shows the dark side of Hollywood and the conspiracies around it.
Friday 21 November 2008
As Film Noir brief
I'm Nicola, for my A level media coursework i was given the following brief,
Create a 2 minute opening sequence to a film noir in a contemporary style, aimed at young (15-20year old) cinema goers.
I'm going to use this blog to display all my research and my preliminary pieces.
Create a 2 minute opening sequence to a film noir in a contemporary style, aimed at young (15-20year old) cinema goers.
I'm going to use this blog to display all my research and my preliminary pieces.
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