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.