Classic Noir Films

I have pointed out the 2 classic Film Noirs that i enjoyed watching, the storyline appeared interesting and different to me, as the main character for the woman is not like the other Femme Fatales.

Criss Cross

This Classic Film Noir was Directed by Robert Siodmak

Writers: Don Tracy (novel), Daniel Fuchs (scenario)

Production Co: Universal International Pictures

Release Date:1949 (USA)

Filming Locations: Angel's Flight Railway, Bunker Hill, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Steve Thompson an obsessive, helpless romantic man recently split from the love of his life his wife Anna, torn by the split he moves back to L.A in the hope that they can make another try for their relationship, Unfortunately for him Anna now belongs to the L.A underworld, Steve believes he will do all he can to rescue her, even risk his life even ignoring all advice and warning from the people closest to him, defying all the people that tried to warn him he takes course of action and heads to save Anna, not reasing what danger he has put himself in.

The other classic Film Noir i chose was:

Double Indemnity

Filming Locations:1825 N. Kingsley Drive, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Budget: $927,262 (estimated)

Release Date: 24 April 1944 (USA)

Director: Billy Wilder

Writers: James M. Cain (novel), Billy Wilder (screenplay),

In 1938, an experienced salesman. Walter Neff meets the seductive wife of one of his clients, Phyllis Dietrichson, after one meeting walter decides he is in love with Phyllis. She decides they cannot be apart and proposes to kill her husband Dietrichson to receive the prize of an accident insurance policy and Walter plots a scheme to receive twice the amount based on a double indemnity clause. When Mr. Dietrichson is found dead on the trails of a train, the police accept the evidence of accidental death. However, the insurance analyst and Walter's best friend Barton Keyes does not buy the version and suspects that Phyllis has murdered her husband with the help of another man unbeknown that it is actually his friend walter who is the "other man".

The History of Film Noir

It has been 60 years since the genre of Film Noir was founded, The term film noir which is French for "black film" it was first applied to America by film critic Nino Frank. Film Noir developed from the crime sub-genre and gangster movies, they are based around "choosing a dame with a past and a hero with no future" they have a lot of sexuality and attractiveness based around women who are also known as femme fatales meaning any man that is unfortunate to fall for this woman would be in a power relationship run by her and her view and opinion is the only one. The main character is always based around a man (the hero) who normally has the occupation of a detective or a businessman, making it easier for him to meet the dangerous femme fetales. A lot of the Film Noirs are often based in an urban setting, many classic noirs take place in small towns, suburbia, rural areas, or on the open road, the settings are never the same so the storyline always appears to be different as the audience is fooled by the different location, but there is always a similarity in the storyline.
There were big budget studios that some film Noirs were produced in, Paramount and Universal studios were the main studios that were used, as these two studios are very successful businesses now it is good to see that the Film Noirs were created and may have influenced their successfulness.
Film Noirs started during WW2 so it was hard to get the right professionals needed to create the films, so this was the women that were left behind during the war to put themselves to good use and enter the workplace, women were enlightened by this and come to the end of the war did not want to relinquish this new found empowerment, this was a huge social shift.

There are many films that have been made that relate to the Film Noirs such as pulp fiction; a detective film, Film Noir heavily used and influenced by the "hard boiled" and seedy private eye. Although these two movies were made 50 years apart they do share some of the same qualities.

Codes and Conventions of Film Noir

Although the Film Noirs were first produced 60 years ago and made in black and white, they are still even today enjoyed by people that are studying or just amusement. I'm going to discuss some of the following characteristics of a few Film Noirs.

The visual style of film Noir comes into 3 parts:

• The Cinematography
• Editing
• Mise-en-scene

The Aural style of film Noir is

• Sounnd effects/voiceovers
• Music used

In one of the film Noirs Sunset Boullivard even though one of the characters have died, they still use his voice as the voiceover to tell the story, even what his character was thinking at the time even though the character himself wouldn't tell us the audience but the voiceover could , the use of voiceovers are mainly used when the characters can't speak for themselves, making the use of sound in this film Noir very different but better for the audience. The main use for a voiceover is usually when one of the detective characters have been drugged or beaten, so you can always know what they think, how they feel.

Media Coursework Brief

For understanding the coursework, i have established that there are 3 main points to the assessment criteria, those 3 points are;

• Research and Planning

This will be used so i can understand the Film Noir, the history of the film and the codes and conventions.
This poInt of the criteria is worth 20% of the marks on the marks scheme.
Also a camera demo and briefing on crew roles, we will be looking at a camera kit and we will be able to use the camera kit and progress on shooting skills development with this to understand ECMS and production values.
The second production/point is the

• Finished product

This is a completed video/film, this film opening will include a completed preliminary task.
This product is worth 60% of the marks overall.
This is the media production piece that i will demonstrate in using appropriate media technologies, the role of the piece is that they include a writer, director, cinematography, sound, art direction and editor.
The last point of the coursework is

• Evaluation

The evaluation will identify the specific parts of the product for which i was responsible for.
Also identify the strengths and weaknesses of the finished work. I will talk about what we done as a group and how i performed individually from the media production piece. This will then be presented to the class and also shown on my blog, this point is 20% of the marks overall.