Film Noir
This is a genre that is known for its cynical and pessimistic narratives which usually comes with gritty setting and crime ridden cities. It peaked in the 1930's-40s but still lives on in different forms today.
The Typical Audience/Target:
Film Noir targets adult males that have a keen interest in "serious movies" or as some may call them "cinephiles". Younger audiences are avoided when it comes to targeting audiences for this genre because of its serious issues and graphic scenes.
Genre Conventions:
-crime driven narratives
-gloomy atmosphere
-Anti-hero protagonist
-"femme fatale" or a seductive dangerous woman
-dark and gritty city setting
These conventions all add to the mystery and dark tone of the Film Noir Genre that usually has an unhappy ending that forces the audience to face the tough truth of reality and the unfairness of life. This cynical view reflects the period of time these films were made in. The 30's held the tragic great depression where many suffered. And the 40's were plagued by World War II.
Techniques of conventions:
Lighting: low key lighting with dark ambiance
Mi-se-scene: dirty cities and dark outfits.
Narration: voice over from protagonist to communicate the story
Institutional Conventions:
Because of the strict censorship codes during this genre's era, violence and sexual themes could not be explicitly shown, only implied. The criminals also couldn't win as violence was also heavily limited in movies. The marketing usually emphasized the danger of the genre and the femme fatales. Trailers included shadowy visuals and dramatic sound effects.
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