Low camera angle shows inferior characters (usually the femme fatale).

Camera follows the eye line of characters (i.e. detective looking at femme fatale because of their attraction to her).

Cigarettes

Rainy Streets

Black

Shadows (Angle of lighting)

Lipstick

Jewels

Guns

Torch

Money

Low-key black-and-white lighting

One very well known film noir editing

technique is ‘flashbacks’ which are often

presented by the main character

(usually the detective) explaining what

has happened.

Macabre non-diegetic music (usually representing 1940s - 1950s).

Flirtatious language/narrative from the femme fatale to demonstrate her seductive and powerful nature over men.

Amplified diegetic sound, often heard from the gun, punches/hits, etc.

Diegetic voice overs are often found in film noirs such as in ‘Double Indemnity’ where Walter Neff talks about Mrs Dietrichson’s ankle bracelet.

Mournful

Tragedy

Deception/Lies

Love

Crime

Corruption

Sexual obsession

Money

Greed

Power

Femme Fatale (acts like heroin but is

a sinner)

Hero/detective (troubled by femme

fatale).

Victim (usually disliked or victimised

by the femme fatale, who uses the

detective to help her).

Women in Noir› The redeemer offers the male protagonist

the potential at domesticity or normality.

› The destroyer places the male protagonist in a deadly situation, often leading to his violent death.

Film noir is often set out in a first person narrative where one character tells the story, and this links in really well with the flash backs and voice overs.

A man meets a woman who persuades him to commit a crime through sexual manipulation. The crime is plotted and committed. As a consequence the man and the woman are often killed or imprisoned.

A dame with a past and a hero with no future.