Primary characteristics and conventions of film noir: Themes and styles

Primary Characteristics and Conventions of Film Noir: Themes and Styles



The primary moods of classic film noir were melancholy, alienation, bleakness, disillusionment, disenchantment, pessimism, ambiguity, moral corruption, evil, guilt, desperation and paranoia.

Heroes (or anti-heroes), corrupt characters and villains included down-and-out, conflicted hard-boiled detectives or private eyes, cops, gangsters, government agents, a lone wolf, socio-paths or killers, crooks, war veterans, politicians, petty criminals, murderers, or just plain Joes. These protagonists were often morally-ambiguous low-lifes from the dark and gloomy underworld of violent crime and corruption. Distinctively, they were cynical, tarnished, obsessive (sexual or otherwise), brooding, menacing, sinister, sardonic, disillusioned, frightened and insecure loners (usually men), struggling to survive - and in the end, ultimately losing.

Storylines were often elliptical, non-linear and twisting. Narratives were frequently complex, maze-like and convoluted, and typically told with foreboding background music, flashbacks (or a series of flashbacks), witty, razor-sharp and acerbic dialogue, and/or reflective and confessional, first-person voice-over narration. Amnesia suffered by the protagonist was a common plot device, as was the downfall of an innocent Everyman who fell victim to temptation or was framed. Revelations regarding the hero were made to explain/justify the hero's own cynical perspective on life.

Film noir films (mostly shot in gloomy grays, blacks and whites) thematically showed the dark and inhumane side of human nature with cynicism and doomed love, and they emphasized the brutal, unhealthy, seamy, shadowy, dark and sadistic sides of the human experience. An oppressive atmosphere of menace, pessimism, anxiety, suspicion that anything can go wrong, dingy realism, futility, fatalism, defeat and entrapment were stylized characteristics of film noir. The protagonists in film noir were normally driven by their past or by human weakness to repeat former mistakes.

Film noir films were marked visually by expressionistic lighting, deep-focus or depth of field camera work, disorienting visual schemes, jarring editing or juxtaposition of elements, ominous shadows, skewed camera angles (usually vertical or diagonal rather than horizontal), circling cigarette smoke, existential sensibilities, and unbalanced or moody compositions. Settings were often interiors with low-key (or single-source) lighting, venetian-blinded windows and rooms, and dark, claustrophobic, gloomy appearances. Exteriors were often urban night scenes with deep shadows, wet asphalt, dark alleyways, rain-slicked or mean streets, flashing neon lights, and low key lighting. Story locations were often in murky and dark streets, dimly-lit and low-rent apartments and hotel rooms of big cities, or abandoned warehouses. [Often-times, war-time scarcities were the reason for the reduced budgets and shadowy, stark sets of B-pictures and film noirs.]

Some of the most prominent directors of film noir included Orson Welles, John Huston, Billy Wilder, Edgar Ulmer, Douglas Sirk, Robert
 
 

Thriller film soundtrack ideas

Abysmo - The path


Taken from http://www.unsignedbandweb.com/


After looking through the site, we where looking for something similar to the Kasabien and Reservior Dogs theme we had researched.



Another strong track we are considering using is:
Hyperions Fate - Sunny Days Are Over
This was also taken from http://www.unsignedbandweb.com/

Thriller Audience research: graphs and report

The results from our questionnaire showed that the audience preferred mainstream films to independent films. When asked why they explained that mainstream films have good special effects, and normally have their favourite Hollywood actors. Our audience expected a mainstream film to have a ‘Hollywood’ cast and several big city locations. They also expected mainstream films to have professional, high budget special effects and big stunts. Our audience expected an independent film to have unknown actors, minimum worldwide set locations. They also expected independent films to have little special effects and big stunts, with more attention spent on plot, and a good soundtrack. Our audience expected a thriller films to have generally dark, urban damp locations and when asked about British thrillers they expected a location with tower flats, dirty urban streets, a working class/industrial setting. When asked about characters in thriller film they mostly expected the lead to be male, white and working class, with females normally being used as tools in crime. It is intresting that females preffered independent films more than males, this could be because males prefer a big comfy action film, whereas women a instresting plot with deep charaters. Males preferred action thrillers to all other sub genres, this could be eviendence for my earlier point. Whereas females preferred crime thrillers, this again evidence for my earlier point, that females enjoy a ingaging plot rather then an explosive action packed macho film.

From the research we have concluded that from our sample the audience preferred a mainstream film; the passive hollywood blockbuster is popular for an audience who dose'nt want to be challenged, and wants to enjoy seeing their favourite actor/ess and special effects. 

Shooting analysis 18/1/20

After school we shot the last few scenes we needed to do and we expect after one more session of filming we will have finished, and will have time to do any re shoots if necessary. Having needing a car for the scene Bens Dad whoi works for Mercedes, let us use a Mercedes for shooting. This was ideal as we where looking for a good car to shoot with as this is meant to be Christians’ car. The car was parked down a side street and we had the car for half an hour and managed to get all the shots we needed. Bens Dad was also on hand for some shots. There was the occasional problem of cars and people walking past but apart from this the shoot went well. We used the car headlights and street lighting to are advantage, creating shadows.

The car we shot with.

Shooting Schedule: 18/1/10

Shooting analysis 16/1/10

On Saturday 16th January we went out and shot shots - . The location for these shots where Trowse Bridge and Trowse, Hopkin homes/ YMCA. This was our third time of shooting. The weather was very damp and along side with the good street lighting the combination created some very good reflections and shadows which looked both striking and moody. It was very cold but we managed to shoot most of what we hoped to achieve apart from some shots which we couldn’t shoot because it was too dark, we are instead shooting these on Friday. Overall the shooting went well, with our actors on set on time and the right weather.

Shooting analysis, 15/1/10

On Friday 15th January after school I went and filmed the final shots of out opening. This was our second day of filming having previously done some filming in Trowse on Monday. The location for the final shots was one of our actors house, Isobel Bailey, this was very convent because the actor was on location. We decided to have Christian’s and Isabella’s house for this location because it was suitably fitting for the part, being fairly large and well furnished. The shoot went very well and I made good use of the lamps and slit blinds in the house, the result of which I could create some good shadows in the shots. The door of the house was particularly interesting and old fashioned with coloured glass panes above it, using this to my advantages I shot Isabella walking past them outside, managing a good looking shot. I also did some shooting outside, in a alleyway near Isobel’s house, the alleyway had perfect lighting from several streetlamps and created excellent shadows. The shooting outside went very smoothly with no problems apart from the occasional dog walking, overall all the shooting was very successful and I felt some very good shots where achieved.

Shooting Schedules: 15/1/10, 16/1/10

Locations: UPDATED: Isabella & Christian's house

Isobel Bailey's house/ Isabella & Christian's house


Shots of Isabella getting ready to leave her house and past life behind after having returned from taking the money
-Taking adress from notice board
-Packing last item in bag
-going out

Notice board 


Isabella takes an address of the notice board, the address where she is heading for to start her new life.
C.U of Isabella's hand taken adress

Front door


Front door Isabella leaves from.


C.U of Isabella hand on door knob
M.S from the top of the strairs going across hallway and out of door.
C.U of Isabella's feet, suitcase can be seen.

Window 


Blind's create perfect shadows and are moody and atmospheric
and reminisant of eary thrillers


Due to revisions with our plot the shots with Isabella leaving the house have been cut. The shots of Isabella smoking agaisnt the blinds will remain.

Research into Bristish gangster Films

The working class, gritty British gangster film, where such scarcely figure in British cinema until the 1940's. Before this there was a feeling that 'gangsters' were something essentially American and British cinema stuck to the gritty crooks. For some decades, British crime movies tended to feature solo criminals, crooks and often murderers, as in Hitchcock's The Lodger (1926) and Young and Innocent (1937). In the 20's and 30's Detective stories were popular, the famous Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie-style detection stories notably. The less tightened censorship restrictions began the emerging of British gangster films onto the cinema screens. By 1951 the concept of a British gangster movie had become familiar enough for the production of a spoof, 'The Lavender Hill Mob', by Alec Guinness led four years later by another film another by him, 'The Ladykillers' (1955) and gangster comedies such as Two Way stretch (1960) more recent light hearted titles include Rock nRolla(2008).
A popular subject of gangster films are Heist films notoriously having plot twists, and focusing on the characters' attempts to formulate a plan, carry it out, and escape with their attended loot. Two famous examples being 'The Italian Job' with its famous and literal cliff hanger ending and more recently 'Sexy Beast' (2000) with a soon release due of a new film made by the same director: '44inch Chest'.. British gangster films have significantly over the past years having to develope with a changing and diverse society from the early noir gangster thrillers to modern thriller more frequently surrounding the Recent publicity of urban youth crime and violence the 'yob generation'. This has been reflected in a number of films, notably Kidulthood (2006) and its sequel, Adulthood (2008).

Generic Signifiers of British gangster films

British Gangster films settings typically tend to be dark, gloomy, urban streets. On working class derelict estates, neglected apartments/flats warehouses and other locations where criminal activity can take place unseen. The characters usually involve male leads, criminals with little morals and remorse, who are selfish and are out to make money and a living for themselves, though the liberty of something else not caring who they hurt in their way.

 A report by Jane Burnside @ Virgin Media/movies says that the top ten British Gangster films are the following: Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Brighton Rock, Get Carter, Villain, The Long Good Friday, The Lavender Hill Mob, The Krays, Face, Reservoir Dogs and Sexy Beast. Looking through various over top tens and research into British gangster films these titles come up again and again as greats of there genre.

Thriller Audience Research Questionnaire

Thriller Film Audience Research Questionnaire






Do you prefer mainstream or independent films? Why do you prefer your chosen film type?






What do you expect from an independent film?






What do you expect from a mainstream film?




What sub genre of thriller genre do you prefer?

Crime Thrillers
Action Thrillers
Gangster Thrillers
Noir Thrillers
Other (Please state)






Why do you prefer this sub genre?






What do you expect the locations in thriller films to be like?






What do you expect from the characters in a thriller film? Consider their behavior, attitude.






What is your favourite thriller film? Why?