Film NoirLocation/setting, costumes, props and

timeline.

Faith Brimmell

Locations and Settings• Film noir films were marked through the lighting,

the cameras depth of field, visual schemes, ominous shadows, vertical and diagonal instead of horizontal camera angles, circling cigarette smoke, and unbalanced or moody compositions. Settings were often interiors with low-key lighting, blinded windows and rooms with dark claustrophobic appearances. Exteriors are often urban night scenes with deep shadows, dark alleyways, rain-slicked streets and flashing neon lights. Story locations were often in murky and dark streets, dimly-lit and low-rent apartments and hotel rooms of big cities, as well as abandoned warehouses.

Locations and Settings• Noir scenes are made from interesting camera

angles and with dramatic close-ups and shadowed lighting. The stories tend to use smoke-filled rooms, views of light filtered through Venetian blinds, downtown areas with neon lights, dark wet streets to heighten the noir effect. Brightly-lit scenes are not used in noir films since the desired effect is that of dreary hopelessness.

Men’s Costumes• The men’s costume within film

noir films would be a basic suit, Fedora hats, long coat and finished off with a cigar or cigarette. The type of suit they wore would compliment their status background. A business styled suit would connote their wealth, compared to the grimy styled suits which would connote a lower status.

Women's Costumes• The vision of the idealised innocent girl who wears

the stereotypical household aprons, pony tails and bakes cookies for their cherubic little girl. However, there is also the opposite vision of film noir women, represented through wearing satin cocktail frocks and long shirt dresses. Also, in the film ‘The Big Sleep’ (1946) directed by Howard Hawks, the first scene showed the woman wearing a short skirt and top.

• The status of the women are symbolised by the fur coat they wear, a long with the use of jewellery and accessories.

Props• An iconic prop within film noir, revolves around both

genders. The cigar for the men and the cigarette for the women, unless they are made out to be the ‘innocent girl’ within the plot. This could signify wealth of the character.

• As most film noir films are crime based, the characters use a gun as a prop.

• A simple, ordinary car, which didn’t have special gadgets, such as fire from the exhaust, as these were introduced more in the 1990’s / 2000’s in the big blockbuster films.

Timeline of Film Noir• 1940’s / 1950’s – film noir was regarded as the

‘classic period’ of American film noir. The first film noir film to be made was ‘Stranger on the Third Floor’ in 1940, which was directed by Boris Ingster. Other films created during the 1940’s / 1950’s included: ‘You Only Live Once’ and ‘Kiss Me Deadly’

Timeline of Film Noir

• 1960’s / 1970’s – New trends emerged and brought classic noir themes and mood to television. Film noir films from this era included: ‘Point Blank’, ‘Hickey and Boggs’, ‘Farewell, My Lovely’ and ‘Thieves Like Us’.

Timeline of Film Noir

• 1980’s / 1990’s – during this time, more colour films were emerging, along with more ambience noir dramas. These included films such as ‘Miami Vice’, ‘Fight Club’, ‘Pulp Fiction’ and ‘Reservoir Dogs’

Timeline of Film Noir

• 2000’s – this era was when more ultra-violent films were being introduced into the genre of film noir. These type of films included: ‘Memento’, ‘Insomnia’, ‘Batman Begins’ and ‘Collateral’.