Tuesday 17 January 2012

Conventions of Film Noir.

Film noir follows a very original and dark theme, being a genre in itself it has its own conventions that most if not all film noir movies include. Here is a list of generic conventions used within film noir:

Narrative Devices

Convoluted story lines,
Flashbacks,
Voiceover narration,
First person narrative.

Characters

Corrupt cops,
Heroes/anti-heroes,
Hard hearted detectives,
The 'lone wolf',
Crooks,
Gangsters,
Jealous husbands,
Women with an appetite for wealthy, older men,
Alienated protagonists,
Chauvinist males.

Iconography

Dark sidewalks,
Rain drenched streets,
Flashing neon signs,
Hostile/villainous citys,
Guns,
Alcohol/alcoholics,
Fedora/trilbies,
Suits,
Trench coats,

Settings

Abandoned warehouses,
Dark rooms with light slicing through venetian blinds,
Alleys cluttered with garbage,
Run down bars,
Lounges,
Gambling Dens,
Industrial settings - refineries, factories and train yards,
Nightclubs.

I will now try to include as many of these conventions as i can in my short film, as it would give it a true noir feel to it. From looking over the list i specifically want to include a voiceover narration, a hard hearted detective, dark sidewalks, fedoras and dodgy alleys.

Thursday 12 January 2012

Research into Film Posters - D.O.A.

i like this poster because it actually tells you something about the story rather than just displaying the leading actors. It shows a man reporting his own murder to a policeman, now to your everyday person (bearing in mind its from the 50's) that will see this poster that is a confusing scenario and it makes people want to find out whats going on. It Makes them want more.

This poster uses bright colours to draw attention to its title and lead role. It also gives a brief insight to what the film is going to entail, "A PICTURE AS EXCITINGLY DIFFERENT AS ITS TITLE!". The artist appeals to the audiences curiosity by making it strange and different.