1.What do the titles tend to look like?
The titles are often white top contrast against the dark shadows, intergrated into the opening scene. The font tends to be bold and in capitals and fade on and off on top of the scene that opens.
2. What kind of music/ or other non diegetic sounds are used?
Film Noirs tend to use music that isoften extremely dramatic. In the opening sequence to DOA the music creates tension and a sense of mystery and engages the audience as the scene starts with loud non diegetic music that fits the titles.
3. What types of character do we see in the opening sequence? How are their chracters established through technical features?
Film Noir establish a male hero type figure, often a detective or a police officer who the audience are positioned to like as he is tough but has some sort of hardship, so the audience sympathise with him. A femme fetale figure is also introduced that acts as a danger to the hero in some form. Occasionally a villain is introduced, but often the femme fetale and the hero work together as the binary opposition.
4. What kinds of mise-en-scene dominate? What are typical features of setting, lighting, props?
Settings often include Urban or city landscapes or Police stations as a common theme in Film Noirs is crime. Props were also associated with the same theme, such as guns and wepons. Since most Film Noirs were set in the 1940’s and the 1950’s, alot of the props were from those eras. Costumes, props such as cars and objects were all from the 1940’s and 1950’s. A lighting technique called ‘Chiaroscuro’ (basically means light and dark) was used to which heightened the drama of Film Noirs. The use of shadows and silhouettes to outline characters made things look more sinister.
5. What narrative codes are employed and how?
Enigma codes were a key aspect of Film Noirs to intrigue the audience and create a sense of mystery and suspense. The audience are meant to ask questions that they expect to be answered, thus making them more interested in watching the film. A binary opposition is also created of hero vs. villain or male vs. female.
6. Is there a particular form of cinematography or editing that is specific to the genre you are working in?
Generally there is a slow pace of editing in Film Noirs between shots. A key aspect of cinematography is the lighting which I have previously explained. The lighting is dramatic, creating crisp black lines and shadows, that make the scene all the more mysterious.
Generally there is a slow pace of editing in Film Noirs between shots. A key aspect of cinematography is the lighting which I have previously explained. The lighting is dramatic, creating crisp black lines and shadows, that make the scene all the more mysterious.
Characters often are half lit, producing shadows across their faces to suggest a shadiness, a moral ambiguity about them.
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