The Conventions of Film Noir

Film noir is a style of film that was popular in the USA in the 1900s. It is often mistaken for being a genre, but it is the conventions and cinematography of a film that make it a film noir.

There are three main periods of film noir - proto-noir, classic film noir and post-classic noir.

Proto-noirs are films from the 1900s to 1930s. This period of film noir is not considered to be proper film noir, but rather the beginnings of and inspiration for classic film noir.

The classic film noir period was from the 1940s to 1950s. This was in the Golden Age of Hollywood films, which is known for having narratives that the audience will be able to identify with. The Golden Age also used camera angles, camera movements and all aspects of the mise-en-scene to convey messages that could not be done because of the lack of technology. This is seen in classic film noir because the directors and producers had to rely on cinematography as a substitution for technological effects.

Many believe that the film noir era ended in the late 1950s. However, there were still films being released that some consider could be categorised as film noirs. These are post-classic noirs, which have been going since the 1960s. Post-classic noirs can be coloured films but still contain the main conventions of classic film noirs. Post-classic noirs are usually psychological thrillers that use the mise-en-scene in the same way classic film noirs did.

I looked at the conventions of film noir and how they changed through the different periods so my group would be able to use the conventions that we find necessary to make our production authentic.

Proto-noir Conventions
Gangster/Crime/Mystery genres, also sometimes comedy
Male protagonist (dominant representation of men)
Mysterious female character
Love, usually between the protagonist and mysterious female character
Death
Money
Police, usually corrupt
Black and white
Low-key lighting creating dramatic shadows over parts of the set and characters' faces

Classic noir conventions
Females given a bigger role, sometimes protagonists
Protagonists usually victims of crime but are also criminals
First person narration, usually the protagonist
Affair between the married lead male character and the female protagonist
Love
Death
Jealousy
Money
Black and white
Urban setting, a lot of the action is set in the streets
Complicated narrative

Post-classic noir conventions
Complicated narrative
Many different storylines that come together at the end

Posted by ASHA KABADEH