Typical Conventions of Film Noir

Characters

In film noir there are typically a few characters: 

• The everyman
• The femme fatale
• The villain
• The girl next door

The everyman is typically a man in his thirties who has very normal and relatively boring job. The everyman will usually be the main focus of the film. The everyman will usually occupy the role of the main protaganist without being a hero. He will usually fall into some sort of trouble with the villain because of the femme fatale. By the end of the film the everyman will usually be dead. The everyman typically dresses in a black suit.

The femme fatale is usually a pretty woman who will have some link to the villain and get the everyman in trouble with the villain by seducing them. She will usually be dead by the end of the film. At the time of film noir (1940s) this was the case to show that women were trouble. She will usually wear a tight dress and have red lipstick on.

The villain is typically a gangster. They will usually be the femme fatale's husband.They will also be leader of a mob.

The girl next door is typically a regular happy girl who is the opposite of the femme fatale and isn't as wanted by the everyman until he has realized that the femme fatale will only land him in trouble.

Narrative Structure

Typically in film noir it will always start with a broken everyman at the end of the film. The film will always start at the end to make the viewer want to find out why the everyman is broken. The everyman will usually fall in love with the femme fatale which will land him in some trouble. By the end of the film the everyman and the femme fatale will both usually be dead.

Mise-en-scene

Noir films are usually set in an urban city. A majority of the time in noir films the scenes are at night time. This sets the dark mood for the film. A bar is also very typical in film noir. This will usually be where the everyman goes. 

The everyman will usually be dressed in a suit and be wearing a fedora. The femme fatale will usually wear a tight sparkling dress and red lipstick. The villain will usually wear something similar to the everyman. The girl next door will usually wear a long dress so that she appears less appealing. There will also typically be guns in film noir.

Sound

In film noir there is typically has jazz music as its background music. Film noir will also usually amplify sounds such as footsteps and gunshots to make the scenes more intense.

Camera and Composition

Film noir is typically shot in black and white. This is the case because most noir films were made around the 1940s because they didn't have cameras with colour. The only case where this isn't true is in neo-noir because neo-noir films are more modern and have cameras with colour. Film noir is shot in areas with dark lighting to create a dark effect on the audience. 

The only camera transitions used in film noir will usually be fades. This is because the technology wasn't very modern. There will also usually be some slow motion shots. This sometimes happens when the femme fatale is smoking to make her appear more seductive. 

Historical context

Film noir was created in america in the 1940s. People were very interested in violence because of the world war 2 happening at the time. Film noir was also trying to teach the audience gender roles. This was because they were trying to make women less free. They did this by making the femme fatale seem dangerous.