Film noir is a style of cinematographic film full of pessimism, shadows, and bleakness.

This style of film thrived in the mid 1940s to the mid 1950s under directors like Billy
Wilder and Orson Welles. Some of the general conventions of film noir are corrupt
police officers, femme fatale and misogynistic men. Furthermore, in regards to the
aesthetics of film noir a common feature is the use of shadows through low key
lighting. This is done create tension and mystery within the film and to play along with
the dark, criminal feel to the genre. Different camera angles, such as low angle and
wide angle shots are used in film noir to show which character is in control or has the
power in a situation.

The male protagonist is often a detective or a socially alienated individual, often working
in red light districts or desolate office buildings. Often set in a large city dominated by
crime and corruption, the protagonist often gets caught up in it. A common theme with
the male character in film noir is loneliness, this is portrayed through the shadows in the
film as they give connotations of darkness and fear. In addition, the male character is
often seen as smoking and drinking away his troubles after suffering defeat to the
antagonist of the film. The men in film noir are often stereotypes, masculine and
fearless, faced with moral dilemmas presented by the antagonist. In John Hustons The
Maltese Falcon, private investigator Sam Spade plays the protagonist of the film who
looks to put his partners killer behind bars. Although he is the hero of the film, film noir
doesnt play with the basic conventions of protagonist and antagonist. In many moments
of the film Spade could be depicted as an anti-hero type figure, a flawed and morally
ambiguous character. Furthermore, the male protagonist is commonly miss portrayed at
the beginning of the film as a hard-nosed, tough guy and sincere individual. But
throughout the film when faced with dilemmas his true colours shine through and the
audience can see he is of course the hero.

Within the sub-genre of film noir there are lots of different character types, a
significant and common one is the Femme Fatale. An often very attractive,
sly, and seductive character whom builds up the trust of the male
protagonist only to heartlessly betray him. The classic femme fatale
commonly turns to murder to free herself from the shackles of a relationship
with a man that tries to control her. She represents a strong, independent
woman who uses her sexuality and looks to get her own way. This is shown
in Out of the Past when Kathie Moffett escapes a confining relationship with
Whit Sterling but Whit hires a detective to retrieve her. This plays in with the
idea of a femme fatale because its supposed to represent that a woman is a
mans possession, film noir goes against this ideology. The female character
in film noir often acts as a distraction or a temptation that the male
protagonist must overcome, she is destructive and not good for the male but
Low angle shot displays the power the character
is irresistible.
has as she looks down on the other characters.
Lack of clothing shows how she uses her sexuality
and beauty to intimidate the male detectives.

Within my thriller, I could use the film noir feature

of shadows to create tension and mystery. Very
easy to do and very effective it can capture the
interest of the audience and make them question
and think about the plot. Furthermore, shadows
can act as a very good subtle indication that
something significant is about to happen. It also
plays with the idea that the character in the film
doesnt know whats in the shadows and neither
does the audience, this creates a relatable
situation making for a tenser scene.