Media Assignment: Film Noir: Codes and Conventions

Media Assignment: Film Noir Codes and Conventions

Connor Cushingham

What are the Codes and Conventions of Film Noir?

Film Noir is quite a dark and almost edgy genre of film, it generally revolves around the heavyhearted investigations of a detective who is trying to uncover an enigma set at the beginning and is developed all the way throughout. The key aspects of a Film Noir come from the specific character traits as well as the unique uses of lighting, camera angles and Mise en Scene used within the film.

Film Noirs rely quite a lot on Iconography in order for the film to properly reflect the genre to the audience as it is usually quite recognisable. The locations of Film Noirs are often quite relatable to the viewer, an area similar to what the viewer will have most likely come across in their lifetime, which makes the film seem more realistic and relatable. These areas are typically shown to be everyday urban settings, such as a rainy damp street, alleyways or certain locations such as warehouses. Most Film Noirs are in black and white, but are obviously not limited to that style, the reason for this is mostly because the majority of Film Noirs are set in roughly the 1950s, in an era where woman were often objectified and men given the priority of power. These locations are Iconography associated with Film Noir due to their common prevalence in most Film Noir films. Other aspects such as dark lighting, gloom and fog are commonly associated with Film Noir as well due to their mysterious connotations and reflection of an enigma which would be common in a Film Noir. Certain Mise en Scene in Film Noirs is linked to Iconography as well, such as the costumes of the character which can reflect the genre. Smart suits, trench coats, trilby hats and polished shoes are often connoted to the hardboiled detective attire. Guns and cigarettes could also be linked to the detectives however the two may also connote to gangsters or some sort of villain. Red lipstick is also definitely a significant trait in Film Noirs, most likely attributed to the Femme Fatale in order to give her aspects of seduction, glamour or wealth. Gloomy effects in shots are significant to Film Noir; low key lighting used to increase the intensity of a scene is commonly attributed to the genre as well as cantered camera angles to give a distorted vibe and gloomy atmosphere to the shot. The music in Film Noirs is quite recognisable and is uncommonly associated with other genres; heavy jazz music is often common and is used to give the film an edge of sophistication as well as a type of mystery which fuels the enigma in the story.

The cinematography in Film Noirs is quite unique, often deliberate in order to throw the audience off, or make them feel uneasy. Film Noir cinematography is often quite distorted, skewed and uncomfortable to even look at, which puts the viewer at ease. The angles are often rotated slightly so they seem at a strange angle, or there is an abuse of worm’s eye view shots or aerial shots to make the size of certain objects or characters become emphasised or undermined. The intensity of the cinematography is also abused to make the viewer seem uncomfortable, extreme close ups are commonly used to display the intensity in a characters emotion. Since a lot of Film Noir is the solving of an enigma there is quite a lot of change in expression and characteristics that can be evident to the viewer to display a skew in the mood of the story, so intense close ups to emphasise emotion are very important. Shots that take advantage of deep focus are also very evident in Film Noir, there is often an object in the near foreground which seems enlarged due to its closeness to the camera, and this is what the viewer is forced to focus on despite their possibly being something completely different in the background. The background may also be distorted and blurred so that the image in the foreground is even more emphasised and guaranteed to be focused on by the viewer, and is forced to stick in the viewer’s mind due to its prevalent importance. Film Noirs often play with the distortion of images in certain shots, used to create an uncomfortable and mysterious atmosphere in the scene. This can be done with the distortion of faces through the use of objects such as broken or skewed mirrors or strange reflections. The distorted images often connote some form of danger or ingenuity in the scene, and may make the viewer uncomfortable. Dutch tilts are also common and the irregular framing of shots is very apparent and used to throw off the viewer, some shots may even be so skewed and irregular it is difficult to tell whether the image is completely vertical or horizontal at first glance and requires the viewer to pay close attention.

The Mise En Scene on its own in Film Noirs is very important and often instantly recognisable to the genre. There is a lot of chiaroscuro in Film Noirs to make the scene seem quite uneasy, if the Film Noir is in black and white which they majoritively are then the lighting is even more important since the scenes are completely filled with either one colour or the other, and few greys are left on their own. This provides intensity through the lighting. Very specific lighting placements are required in Film Noirs through Mise en Scene, these could be used to lengthen the shadows behind characters or shroud parts of their body to connote a mysterious atmosphere coming from a specific person or area. Venetian blinds are also abused during Film Noirs to provide a very specific effect of lighting upon a surface, blocking out certain traces of light to add unique shading to the scene. The lighting is often very contrasting, either black or white is very dominant and there are very few greys to add intensity, fog machines could also be useful with lighting because they can be used to provide an image of black shadows mysteriously drifting in a mist. Urban locations in Mise en Scene are often prevalent in Film Noirs, which are commonly relatable to the viewer so they become more hooked on the film since they believe it is more realistic. Dark alleyways are often filled with fog from a fog machine in order to connote mystery and potentially impending danger due to its claustrophobic connotations.

The sounds in Film Noirs may not seem to be all that unique however at a second glance there is a surprising amount to be found. There is often quite a lot of melancholy downbeat jazz music used in Film Noirs, and generally a constant soundtrack happening in scenes, the tone of which changes corresponding to the events of the sequence. Heavy breathing contrasting with the use of quiet sounds or absolute silence is quite evident in Film Noirs, since due to it being centred on solving an enigma there is quite a lot of silence and room for thought. In addition to the lack of speech there needs to be some context to scenes, so there is often a voice over from the protagonist to provide exposition and how he comes to certain conclusions after deducing evidence. Ambient sounds of the city or suburbia are used to make areas seem more realistic and relatable to the viewer, other kinds of sounds such as discordant grating music is also used. Sudden noises may also be present in Film Noirs in order to shock the viewer and make them pay more attention to the story due to the sudden change in pace or action.

Film Noirs have very interesting and signature characters, some of which are downright required for the film to even be considered Film Noir. The two characters which are almost certainly required are the down at heel Private Eye and the deadly Femme Fatale who provides the spider and the fly storyline. The detective private eye is often shrouded in flaws and can be easily swayed by the Femme Fatale’s advances; he is usually given a position of power and his role as a man grants him significant authority over women due to the general era of the 1950s which Film Noirs stem from. This character is often quite demeaning of women in the genre, objectifying them and only really appreciating them for their physical beauty rather than their personal attributes. In The Maltese Falcon this character is given to Sam Spade, a private investigator who inquires Ruth Wonderly about her predicament and aims to help the beautiful woman. Throughout his introduction to her he repetitively gives her pet names such as “darling” or “sweetheart”, this is also evident when he is addressing his secretary. The Femme Fatale is often portrayed initially as quite weak and in need of assistance while also being quite attractive, wealthy, glamorous and desirable. The Femme Fatale will often also provide an enigma for the story, some kind of mystery which the private eye and potentially other characters will attempt to solve in efforts to help the Femme Fatale. Despite her initial traits the Femme Fatale will switch her role at some point in the film and reveal to be the villain, or at least a contributor to the negative attributes to the storyline. Femme Fatale often acts quite helpless and also seductive towards the private eye in order to seduce him into aided her in her plight. Through her seductive tones she manages to manipulate the private eye and will likely sleep with him in order to get what she wants, potentially trying to cover her own footprints in a crime she committed or wants the aid of an authority figure to unknowingly help her commit a crime. In The Maltese Falcon the Femme Fatale character is given to a woman named Ruth Wonderly, a wealthy woman who comes to the protagonist Sam Spade, a private investigator about a predicament involving her sister. Wonderly acts incredibly helpless and often flabbergasted at her own predicament to seem innocent and in need of assistance, while demeaning her role as a human and succumbing to pet names from Sam Spade in order to sway him and get her own way. Several other characters are also evident in Film Noirs, such as a small division of corrupt policemen who are working in collaboration with gangsters or other members of a city’s shady underbelly to work against the system who pose a threat to the private eye. Gangsters themselves are prevalent in Film Noirs; however their style seems to be quite different to the generic teenage attributes given to modern day gangsters. Film Noir gangsters are often quite professional, running their own underground organisation against the law with their own forceful power to boot, evidently a threat to the private eye and potentially an obstacle. Another female character doesn’t have a specific name like the Femme Fatale; however her traits remain evident in several Film Noirs as a supportive role towards the private eye protagonist. She will often be quite close to the main character, either towards the start or throughout, perhaps a secretary or good willed female cop who encourages the protagonist and is potentially innocently flirtatious towards him. Despite her interest in the protagonist she is often outshined by the Femme Fatale as a candidate for the love interest category and the protagonist ignores her, while the audience may perceive this female character as being the more ideal love interest. Other characters such as a deadbeat down and out writer or other detective may be evident in such Film Noirs, often just supporting characters to provide exposition and a guide for where the storyline should turn.

Several themes are evident in Film Noirs and often reveal themselves throughout the story, and may be obstacles for certain characters to overcome. Greed, love, betrayal, jealousy, lust, revenge, corruption, murder, sex and justice are all evident themes in Film Noirs and may reveal themselves as predicaments slowly throughout the film. The narrative of a Film Noir has been shown to vary over the years as several incarnations have skewed the general idea of what a Film Noir is. Despite this there is always a main occurrence of the same variety which comes up. These include a voiceover narration commonly provided by the main character to develop exposition and context, fast forwards or flash backs to provide even more exposition, remind the viewer of certain events or to simply provide a time skip, a first person narrative from the protagonist to let us know what he is thinking without him needing to say things aloud which other characters may hear, a convoluted ending which may need some extra deduction to be quite clear to the audience and is often very dramatic and or confusing, and finally the generic good cop and bad cop scenario.

Throughout the years film noir has progressed and been altered in order to fit into modern society and conform to the more common ideals. The classic noir films still remain in the 1950s time period however there have been sub-genres invented along the years which stemmed from the Film Noir genre. These include Neo-noir, noir-science, noir comedies, noir westerns, superhero noirs and finally horror noirs. Each sub-genre has not been one hundred percent dedicated to the original Film Noir genre however incorporates its elements in collaboration with other genres for a different conclusion.