Film Noir:
Although it is strictly not a genre, it is used to describe the stylish Hollywood Crime Dramas, which is the genre and style we are looking for, so by looking in to film Noir and aspects of it, i am also looking in to the generic characteristics shown in this genre of film at the time.
Film Noir was hugely popular during the 40's and 50's (which is also the time period we want our film to be set in). It utilised the use of low key, gloomy lighting to portray the corruption and other depressing themes which affected the characters that they presented on screen. being influenced by the aftermath of World War II, the Film Noir genre would often depict an non-deal, uneasy world which lacks any morals.
Where did Film Noir originate?
- Derived in Europe, Germany
- Brought over to the states by emigre filmmakers (Emigre: a person who has left their own country in order to settle in another)
- Roots within German Expressionism during the 20's and 30's
- German directors such as F. W. Murnau, G. W. Pabst, Robert Wiene AND Fritz Lang all used elements of Noir films in their work before it became so renowned.
- Most films were heavily inspired by pulp novels and crime fiction of the time (This is why most early Noir films tended to be based around detectives)
Camera and lighting
Film Noir has a distinct look, mainly done through the use of a certain type of lighting called "chiaroscuro lighting" which utilises dark and long shadows against a hard lighting effect. Not only that, but this effect usually looks really good with a black and white filter / camera, as it really highlights the lights and the dark, and the specific tones needed in order to create the desired image. High contrasts within the picture really create the objects from the negative space that is visible.
The Camerawork usually breaks the unwritten rules in film making, sometimes confusing the viewer with mirrors in some shots, as well as other things like keeping everything in the frame in focus, to make sure everything has the same amount of importance in one scene-Skewed cameras (extreme high angles and low angles, canted angles were commonly used as well)
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I chose these shots here because they show so obviously how lighting and camerawork is used in Noir films. All of them have key, contrasting tones in their shots, and everything is in focus, especially with the shot in the top left. everything is distinguishable by their light level in that shot, and usually the background would have been blurred out so that the person walking away is the main centre of focus in the shot, but this is not the case. of course these are just a few key examples from one movie, but it showswhat we have to try and recreate in our group to make sure our opening sequence gets across the correct effect, so that we're portraying our desired genre for our film plot
Elements
Humanity: A classic Film noir film will always have a bleak view on humanity about how the world is bad and there is no escaping from it.
Location: Industrial urban location, usually at night to help create those distinct long shadows produced by the little amounts of light that appear in the streets or in buildings, helps creates a sense of mystery.
Plot line: very complex usually. important to bare in mind when we are creating our own film opening, how will this movie start off? and how will the opening lead in to this main, complex storyline?
Drinking and smoking: We can't show any of us doing any of this, however, we can have items around the set which imply this character does these things heavily, as it is a common theme within Film Noir, and links to the essence of how humanity is viewed in these films.Main character and characters
The detective will be the only character appearing in our opening, so it would be good to look in to how this character could be presented, both costume wise, and mise wise. I done some research on this on the group blog, but it's good to have that information here for reference as wellCostume design.
- Within the costume concepts and designs it will be good to consider what the main character will be dressed like, and what things would be present on the things that he’s wearing
- Dirt and blood may be a good hint to the genre of this film, and connoting as to what will happen in the events after this opening scene
- However, representing these things will be difficult as our film is going to be black and white, so things may blend in with the shadows, but that may be due to lighting to, which is something our group will need to consider at a later date (set lighting).
- We need this character to blend in with the rebellious society of the time, but we also need him to look established as he is a detective. (refer to the use of dirt, blood, etc.)
- Perhaps some costumes will also be visible in the background on hangers, paying attention to detail would mean that we could see what sort of job this detective lead before becoming one.
Connotations of objects that will most likely be present on this main character’s costume:
- Dirt – having this grit and mud can lead the audience to believe that the area around or the places where he’s been a struggle, as well as run down (otherwise it would be cleaner)
- Blood – The key connotations as to the films sub-genre, blood shows that his character deals with the corruption within the police force with violence.
- Coat – although dirty, the coat will make this character look established. Because this is set in a 50’s, we will probably have to consider what the usual detective would wear at this time. And that would be perhaps a suit (a grey-ish colour) or a coat which goes down to about the lower legs, one of the key staples of a detective archetype
- Shirt – we will have to consider what sort of colour we want to portray on the shirt. Pure white suggests purity, but our character is not pure (as stated before, he deals with the corruption with violence), but a pure black shirt would connote sinister intentions (which is not true, he’s still clearing this corruption of society). So perhaps a light grey colour would be fitting for our character.
Small attentions to detail
- Gloves – suggestions of crime, but he does know what he’s doing. Knows how to get away with murder with leaving no evidence (such as fingerprints) behind.
- A badge of some sort – shows establishment, perhaps a fake badge to show that he is undercover. Perhaps this will be subtly shown.
- A hat – this is not as necessary as everything else, but around the time the film is set, a typical businessman would wear a hat, especially in this line of work. If the group decides that we ultimately want this to feature in our film, I will have to research as to what hat should be worn, or whether it should be on a hat rack in the background, to show his formality even in the current situation.
What sort of clothes would be worn back in the 50’s?
From these pictures it is easy to tell that businessmen of this time started to care a little more about current trends in clothing. We can also see that the most prominent colour here is grey, and even though our film is black and white, we will be using a grey suit or coat, as different colours may give different tones, which is definitely not what we want as colour needs to be taken in to consideration when portraying specific meanings. Clothing during the 50’s compared to now has changed dramatically, as most of the clothing trends back then revolved around formality and work, so replicating this same look may be a problem. Perhaps the mood board will help, and some specific research on market sites will sell things that replicate the looks from these eras
Hats
The common hat of this time would be the fedora or the trilby hat (information sourced by vintagedancer.com). there are differences between the two, but it wouldn’t really matter what one we choose, as both give the look that we want. Although expensive, it would most likely be possible to buy at a cheaper price from alternative sites. The bottom row second one is the style that our character will need, alternatively, the one just above it will also be good, as it relates closely to the source images provided
Gloves
Gloves will be important when making our main character look established, having the right sort of gloves will be key. These are the sort of style gloves that we will be needing, but it’s just a question of where to get them. I like the ideas of using the black gloves because of the connotations of black. Black suggests death, mystery and formality, which will be common themes throughout this opening scene and the rest of the film (story-line wise anyway).
Coats
The coat needs to be dirty, but needs to show formality and authority. For this, a coat such as a long coat, or something similar will be good for showing this. It also fits with the 50’s detective inspector theme, especially if this film is set in an alternative England or America. If the coat is to be grey, perhaps the shirt will be white instead, or a really light grey. Although this confuses the connotations, it will make the film look better with our given colour scheme.
Shirt
The shirt shows formality and a work-like ethic being revealed in the character created. The 50’s gave rise to a good mix between formality and style within the workplace, so getting this costume correct will help show the time period this is set in, hence why I’ve researched key themes from the time, such as styles, hats and gloves, and what sort of clothes would be worn in this line of work stereotypically. The shirt needs to be a colour that will also work well with the grey colour of the coat, considering this is black and white, I can’t really expand above the monotone colour scheme, so perhaps a light grey or white shirt would work. I think the light grey shirt would work more in terms of connotations as white suggests purity and peace as stated before. However, the colour white can be used as a counter statement or to show the intentions of this character, so perhaps a white colour would be better than light grey, as grey will become overused in this character’s colour scheme.
Dirt, Blood and small facial details.
The small details will perhaps reveal themselves dependant on the camera shots that we use whilst filming, which will have to be planned at a later date. Dirt and blood will help reveal this character’s line of work, and what may occur whilst doing this. Dirt and blood also reveals genre such as mystery and some elements of action, which our film reveals some elements of throughout. Small facial details such as laugh lines, lines in the face, dark eyes suggest tiredness, lack of sleep, and perhaps weariness, we will need to take this in to account if we do a close up shot of our actors face. Shadows from the hat could be of used to our advantage, seems our film is in black and white, and contrast values on our film editing will be high. The connotations of shadow suggest that it is where a person or group hides, and could lead to negative connotations such as death or darkness.
Other Main Characters within Film Noir:
The Femme Fatale (bad, beautiful, like described in the BFI article)
The Criminal (Usually a murderer, behind a thick plot-line, can make for a really good movie if thought out correctly)
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Sources for future reference:
http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/features/infographic-what-makes-film-noir
http://filmmakeriq.com/lessons/the-basics-of-lighting-for-film-noir/
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