Film Noir Laura Varian

What is Film Noir? Film noir is a style or genre of cinematographic film. The term was originally applied by a group of French critics to American thriller or detective films made in the period of 1944–1954 and to the work of directors such as Orson Welles, Fritz Lang, and Billy Wilder. Film noir is the term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as stretching from the early 1940s to the late 1950s.

Examples of film noir Double indemnity (1944) The big heat (1953)

The Hays Code The Motion Picture Production Code was the set of industry moral censorship guidelines that governed the production of the vast majority of United States motion pictures released by major studios from 1930 to 1968. It is also popularly known as the Hays Code, after Hollywood's chief censor of the time, Will H. Hays. began effectively enforcing it in 1934, and abandoned it in 1968. The Production Code spelled out what was acceptable and what was unacceptable content for motion pictures produced for a public audience in the United States. The code was divided into two parts. The first was a set of "general principles" which mostly concerned morality. The second was a set of "particular applications" which was an exacting list of items which could not be depicted. Some restrictions, such as the ban on homosexuality or the use of specific curse words, were never directly mentioned but were assumed to be understood without clear demarcation. Miscegenation, better known as the mixing of races, was forbidden. It also stated that the notion of an "adults-only policy" would be a dubious, ineffective strategy which would be difficult to enforce. However, it did allow that maturer minds may easily understand and accept without harm subject matter in plots which does younger people positive harm.

The Black Dahlia The Black Dahlia is a 2006 neo noir crime film directed by Brian De Palma. It is based on the novel of the same name by James Ellroy, writer of L.A. Confidential and starred Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Eckhart and Hilary Swank. The story is based on the murder of Elizabeth Short. The film had its world premiere as the opening film at the 63rd Venice Film Festival on August 30, 2006. The film's wide release was on September 15, 2006. Despite the film being both a critical and financial failure, the film was nominated for Best Cinematography at the 79th Academy Awards, but lost to Pan's Labyrinth.

Conventions Common conventions used in film noir are; Low key lighting Shadows cast by venetian blinds Dutch angels Low angle shots Wide angle lenses Shots of characters reflection in one or more mirrors Night for night filming – instead of day for night From the 1940’s location shooting became frequent Dark side walks Rain drenched streets Flashing neon signs Alcohol Cigarettes Guns Someone evil going against what you would normally expect Typical settings- LA, New York ,San Francisco and Chicago Bars, nightclubs, gambling dens, industrial settings –factories , powerplants Flashbacks Voiceover narration