Introduction to Film Noir

Film Noir literally means 'black film' and often films of this genre contain a dark backstory or an evil histroy of the character. The vast majority of Film Noirs are based around crime, good and bad and betrayal. Film Noir began in the 1940's, being a major genre for post World War films which seemed to die out towards the 1970's. This was because colour films began to grow in popularity and more interesting storylines were being devised.

Film Noir films have a main setting in more rural areas. This is because there are lots of different things that can be used to create shadows that have high contrast with the backdrop. The stronger the colour contrast is, the more powerful the message is.

It is always assumed that Film Noirs are filmed in black and white, but this a stererotypical opinion that has only stuck  because the most famous film noir films were filmed when colour filming was expensive.

Flashbacks and first person voice overs create unpredictable and exciting film. Plot devices such as the protagonist suffering from amnesia were also very common. This is because the viewer feels uneasy, as they cannot be certain what is going on.

Film noir storylines are expressed by the use of low-key lighting, juxtaposition, skewed camera angles, circling cigarette smoke and dull compositions. Typical cinematography settings include Venetian blinds, vertical bars, dark streets, flashing neon lights and generally gloomy places.