Film Noir - Target Audience - Analysis

Throughout my study of the Film Noir genre I created a questionnaire to be filled out by a selection of people across different age groups. Here are my findings;

The majority of people that said 'yes' to watching Film Noir productions fall in the 31-50 or 50+ category. By seeing these results insinuates the older generation tend to watch Film Noirs more than the newer and younger age group. This then gives our production team what sort of people will be interested in the genre and what aspects these people will be interested in and what sort of things they would want to see in a Film Noir production.

This next graph shows us that more male individuals watch Film Noirs than females. This also narrows down what our target audience will actually be. If more males are watching these production then ours must incoporate more of the conventions that males are interested in. The next graph shows this.

This amount of data is from the seven males that said they watch or have watched Film Noir productions. As you can see they are more interested in a crime based feel to a film with the odd occasion of action and romance. If this is what the audience has said then I feel that we need to include these 'sub genres' into the production as it will suit are target audience accordingly.

This next graph is discovering the target audience's economical status. In the post before, the explanations of the ratings are written in the questionnaire. From the findings, the most common staus was in the C1 category. Only a couple related to B and C2 with none coming under A or D. By knowing that the target audience that watches Film Noirs are primarily in the sections of C1 and B means that they will generally be into more in depth aspects such as complex storylines or things such as unknowing twists and turns in a plot. This is something to consider when a storyline is being constructed and a script is being written.

The next question in the questionnaire is 'If any, what was the last Film Noir that you watched?'. For the people that put a response, many of them had watched the well-known Matltese Faction which starred the iconic star Humphrey Bogart. Other productions such as A Sweet Smell Of Success and Sunset Boulevard were also mentioned. These again gives an idea of what the target audience enjoys watching and with the use of the next question which asks what things they liked about Film Noirs emphasized what our production should in fact include. Some of the responses incorporated the idea of murder, crime and also some sort of problem that a detective has to solve. In the production, these aspects can be used to meet the needs of the target audience. Even things such as distinct characters were mentioned which we shall also include in our Film Noir opening.

Conclusion

Who is your target audience?

To conclude, I believe that our main target audience will be from a male gender as proved in the second graph. This generally eliminates the fact of a strong romance theme within the plotline, althoug conventional, it may not apply to the whole of our target audience. Romance may be replaced with a convention of murder or something along those lines as the male dominance in the questionnaires became apparent when the data was collated.

The age range of our target audience is generally in the older generations. None of the under 16's that filled out a questionnaire had watched a Film Noir production therefore they were cancelled out of the equation leaving the 50+ category the majority that had watched one or more. Again, the collated data had given us a more in depth analysis of what our target audience would be. So far we had discovered that the age range was between 35-50+. This gave us a general idea of what aspect they would want.

The final graph insinuated the economic status of our target audience with them mainly coming under the C1 category. This again narrows down what our target audience will be. The C1 category is mainly supervisory, clerical and junior management based professions.

What will they require from your Film Noir?

From the data collected from the sub genres and the comments added in at the bottom of the questionnaire, it gave us a good idea of what our desired target audience will want to see in our production. The target audience mentioned that distinct characters in the opening should be notified to the audience when watching the short production. As well as this, the target audience specified a necessary detective to be starred in the production which will be incoporated into it.

Film Noir - Target Audience - Questionnaire

Film Noir - Target Audience - Questionnaire

Film Noir - Similar Products - Movie posters

The movie posters in film noir are another important part of the genre, they basically are the (alongside the trailer) the main advertisement for a production. They are also cheaper than the trailer to produce so most people would be looking at the poster to see if they would want to go see the film. There are many parts that are included in the poster that try to persuade the potential audience to go and watch the film.

This first poster is for the film the Dark Corner. The first noticeable part of the poster is the characters in it. The male character looks as though he is spying on the female character through some blinds, this could insinuate that she has perhaps done something wrong to this man and she is under questioning from him hence the stern look upon his face. The lady also fits the femme fatale category of character as she is well dressed and is attractive in her own respect. The next feature that is included in the poster are the actors and actresses names, the forename is slightly smaller than the surname as this emphasizes the lastname to the audience. This has been done because actors were usually known for their last name and were referred to by their surname. It also gives the audience an idea as to who is starring in the film, if they like the actors/actresses then they will want to go see it.

This next poster is for the film the 3rd Man. The title of the film is an instant 'stand out' for the audience as the red contrasts the black and white making it more noticeable. Another key point to make out if the three sillouettes on the top ride hand side of the poster. They each contrast each other so that they stand out one another showing the three men intwined together. The female character at the bottom of the potser is the larger of all pictures. This shows her dominance in the film meaning that she could potentially be a stronger character than all of the men using her wit against them in the plot. Unlike the poster before, the names are written smaller and are still readable but aren't as prominant.

The final poster that I shall be looking at is the one for the film This Gun For Hire. The most striking part of the poster is the female character positioned in the centre. Her natural and striking beauty fills the page (again like the last poster) showing her dominance over the other character in the poster. He is most likely a detective due to the gun, his expression isn't certain and there is a scared feel about his body language. For all three of the posters, they have been drawn as a cartoon type style and not a real life still of the characters. Also, all three of the posters have been in colour whereas the movies are all in black and white, these are all conventional elements of film noir posters.

Film Noir - Similar Products - 3 Opening Scenes

Film 1: Sunset Boulevard - 1950
The first few seconds of the film immediately tells us where the location of the film is set as a street name becomes visible as the camera pans onto a curb. The street is Sunset Boulevard which is in Hollwood, this is a very conventional place for a film noir to be set as many others have taken place and been filmed there. The next convention which is clearly noticeable is the opening credits that appear on screen as the camera pans along the road. Since the film is of course in black and white, the titles appear as white since they contracts the grey tarmac thus being clearly visible to the audience. The next striking convention is when police and detectives in stereotypical film noir styled cars race past the camera. This convention is seen throughout many film noir productions as murder, likewise in this production, is present therefore needing an investigator to search for clues and solve the crime. The police travel to a large establishment where a film writer is found dead in a pool with two bullet holes to the back. This again is another important convention to film noir as murders are seen throughout the productions. The last convention which is also present is the american voice over narrating what is happening in the story and why certain events have taking place. We find out that the man talking is in fact the same man that is found dead in the pool. The audience is then taken back 6 months and the story begins. This isn't such a convential event to happen, but does occur in other film noirs.

Film 2: Touch of Evil
The opening shot of the movie is a massive and lengthy shot to begin the film. One immediate convention that is visible is that a murder is going to take place, but only if the characters stay inside the car or at least nearby. This creates tension amongst the audience and also uncertaintity as to if they shall survive. Other questions such as, why would he put a bomb in their car? And, who is the man that planted the bomb? Spring into mind during the opening scene. Another convention which again is fairly obvious is the lighting used to brighten the set. The lighting only enhances certain areas of the set, such as; when the two people walk down the street to get into their car - the lighting is bright enough so that the audience regonises this. Lighting is also used so the audience can see other details such as the genuine 'hustle & bustle' of the city / large town. This leads onto another convention of film noir - the location. For this opening scene, it is obvious that they are in a busy town / city which is conventionally used in film noir, this usually emphasizes the vast quantity of inhabitants of the city and the dominance it brings to the plot. The music in the scene is another convention used in film noir. It is played out of the car that has the bomb in it and follows the genre of jazz and the hint of rock and roll which was generally popular in that era. The final convention is one that is seen near the end of the large shot, it is the convention of romance which is a major part of most if not all of the film noir productions. Here is the long shot at the start of the film that almost spans for three and a half minutes;

Film 3: Notorious

Like many other film noir productions, the opening shots are conventionally the title sequence. This is usually unusual for a modern day film as the credits are most of the time, but not in all cases, played at the end of the film. This is what separates the genre from many others - the title sequence. The next conention is very obvious, the film is set in a major city in america, you can tell this because during the title sequence, the background is that of a city and also when the actors begin speaking their prominant american accent becomes distinguished. Also, after the title sequence has finished writing comes up which basically sets the scene using words "Miami, Florida, Twenty-Three P.M., Nineteen-Hundred and Forty-Six" this is used instead of a voice over. Although voice overs were much more popular, this way of telling the audience is also another convention in film noir. The final convention which is associated with film noir was the characters which are viewed in the opening scene. There are columnists and reporters waiting outside a jury for a stunning femme fatale with their cameras. The female character is also another convention used in film noirs since she is immediately striking in her beauty with male attention at her side almost immediately.

 

Conventions I would like to use in my production:

First and foremost, the main convention that I will be using in the production is the opening titles. This sequence is a well known convention for a film noir and by using this technique I feel the production will begin with the sense of film noir within an instant. To accompany the opening titles, the next convention that will be used is the music. Mainly based around Jazz or perhaps even a serious tone dependant on the plot of the opening. The next main convention that I will want to being using is the use of the strong impacting characters such as the ploice detectives, the villain and the striking femme fatale who's relationship with the protagonist will form the baseline for the plot.

Another convention that I have picked up on that would be useful for the task is the lighting used. This could be used to emphasize specific areas of a shot due to the black and white sometimes limiting visibility. Alongside the lighting, abrupt and uncertain camera shots could be used in the production as this convention is seen throughout other productions in this genre.

Film Noir - Similar Products - 5 Story Plots

Sweet Smell of Success
This film noir production was released on the 27th June 1957, nearing the end of the olden film noir genre. The plot of the film is about a Manhatten press agent Sidney Falco who has been unable to get his clients acknowledged in J.J. Hunsecker's newspaper column due to Falco's failure on a promise he made to Hunsecker. The promise was that he would break up the romance between Hunsecker's younger sister Susan and her partner who was an up-and-coming jazz guitarist named Steve Dallas.
Falco is given just one last hance by Hunsecker and is told to plant a false rumour in a rival column that Susan's lover Dallas is a "dope-smoking communist." The story unfolds as events such as the break up of the couple and Susan trying to commit suicide are viewed. The film ends with Susan claiming she'll move to Dallas instead of living with her brother and that she pities him instead of hating him. Here is the trailer for the film;



The Big Heat
This film noir production was released on the 14th October 1953 and stars actors such as Glenn Ford and Alexander Scourby. The plot of the film is based around a Homicide detective Sergeatn called Dave Bannion. The protagonist investigates the death of a fellow policeman Tom Duncan. The case seems easily solved - a suicide due to ill health. Later Bannion is contacted by the late officer's mistress, Lucy Chapman, and claims it had not been a suicide. Bannion finds out that Duncan did in fact have a second home which would not be applicable to purchase with the salary that he was on. Bannion goes to investigate. As the story unfolds murders are witnessed as the bad guy Mike Lagana slowly weaves his way through the characters. The film is concluded with he protagonist arresting a murderer; Stone and Lagana and Commissioner Higgins being indicted. Bannion, the protagonist returns back to his normal job at Homicide. Here is the trailer for the film;

The Maltese Falcon

This film noir production was released on the 3rd October 1941, the story had at first been written as a novel and had been adapted into film in 1931. This specific adaptation in 1941 starred Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor. The basic plot starts with the murder of the protagonist's co-worker Archer. Detective spade who was Archer's co-worker wasn't particulary fond on him yet he still wanted to find out why he was killed and who did this. Spade, played by Bogart, comes into contact with Miss Wanderly alongside a group of thieves who are interested in a priceless artifact - The Matltese Falcon. The closer Spade gets to the murderer of his partner, the more intwined he becomes with the statue. He uses his initiative to help him find the killer as he bargains a deal with the theives for the name of the murderer. Spade turns in the murderer despite having feelings for her.

Laura

This film noir production was released on the 11th October 1944, stars such as Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews were used in the film and starred as the main characters. The film follows a detective Mark McPherson as he investigates the murder of the famous advertising executive Laura Hunt. There are several suspects in which he needs to interview, these including: a villainary columnist Waldo Lydecker, her fiance Shelby Carpenter, her rich aunt Anne Treadwell and her housekeeper Bessie Clary. As the interviews take place, he notices a mutual view on Laura; all those interviewed were in fact in love with her. Stranger still, he begins to fall in love with her as she shows up at his door one night alive. Her fiance finds out about this and with his anger he goes to kill her. McPherson returns just in time and kills Lyndecker, as he dies, the film ends with his final words being "Goodbye Laura. Goodbye, my love."

The Killers

The audience are introduced to a main character Swede, played by the famous Burt Lancaster, and are shown his worries as he was part of a gang of thieves and was forced into betraying by femme fatale Kitty Collins Colfax. Instead of hiding away from his trouble which conventionally occurs in film noir, Swede faces the facts and knows that he cannot escape this fate. The next characters introduced are a police detective and an investigator, Reardon and Lupinsky, trying to find the killers and have them properly brought to justice. Like many other film noirs, the ending takes places at a big house or pent house. In this case, the conclusion is resulted in a mansion in which the killers are found and justice is brought to them.

Film Noir - Similar Products: Definition and Conventions

Definition
Film noir is a term used in French, which translates from English to French, "Black Film/Cinema". This cinematic term is used to primarily describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas in which particularly emphasize pessimistic attitudes and sexual motivation. The period in which some of the critically best Film Noir texts were made come from around the 1940's to the 1950's.  Film noir of this era is associated with a low-key black-and-white visual style that has roots in German Expressionist cinematography.

Conventions
Within Film Noir productions there are 5 concepts which distinguish this genre from others. These effects and ideas contribute to Film Noir productions to give a noticeable different from other genres from around the time period. Although many conventions are used to define a Film Noir production, sometimes a film with some mutual elements is hard to categorise as similar aspects can be tweaked and changed yet still keep the
The 5 main convention sectors are:

• Costume
• Characters/Actors and Actresses
• Lighting
• Camera Angles
• Location

These are just the main borders of the conventions, sub-segments are also incorporated into an average Film Noir production. A massively noticeable and one which defines the genre altogether is the concept of being in black and white. No colour is used in the productions which follows the tone of the genre which is can range from being an urgent tone to a more depressed feeling as murder is usually used within the plot.

Costume is a big part for the aesthetic side of a Film Noir production. Generally speaking the male characters wore suits and an iconic top hat which in itself gives Film Noir a personal appeal already to the genre. The male characters also would be seen smoking cigars or cigarettes to give them even more of an iconic look. Here is a picture of Humphrey Bogart, a well known Film Noir actor, smoking with the iconic suit and hate being worn.

Alongside the male characters, females are also introduced. These are usually dressed extremely glamorously and sometime provocatively too. This allows the female dominance within the production stand out as the actresses playing the characters are always very attractive. By having these powerful roles within the production, the Film Noir genre is even finer defined. When film posters for the films were constructed, the female character usually showed much dominance and stood out more due to her attractive looks. This next photograph shows the attractiveness of one of the female characters used in a Film Noir production.

The next convention which does link into what I have already discussed, is the characters in Film Noir. It's common feature in Film Noir that there is a male lead detective trying to solve a crime, usually murder or hiding from his past etc. Other male characters serve as accomplices or enemies to this main detective and protagonist with their true identities unfolding as the story develops. Anti-hero are also a common convention when it comes to characters. They usually are on the back foot and reveal all when the time is suited to them. The female characters in Film Noir always dominantly attractive. They supply a real sense of dominance when entered into the plot, their strong roles usually entwine with the protagonist and either help him or deceive him. Other storylines intale the plot of other mysteries and crimes but murder is the is the common theme when it comes to most storylines.

The next common convention which plays a massive roles in the film noir movies is the lighting. Film Noir productions are filmed in black and white (apart from modern day Film Noirs in which some colour is used, such as in Sin City, a lady's dress appears red in colour) Lighting in film noir is used to emphasise a character's personality or the mood in which the shot is trying to be portrayed. If a bad guy that is trying to disrupt the protagonist's actions is in a shot then lighting will be at a minimal but the character is still easily visible. The darkness shows the mood as the character moves around the scene. This in turn is the opposite for the protagonist, who is usually a good detective. The lighting will be clear and distinct showing that there is some good in him, if not all. Lighting also is used to emphasise important aspects of a scene. For example, if there is a noticeable clue which will aid the protagonist in a room, then the lighting will be positioned so that the object(s) are easily seen which draws the audience's attention to that area.

Camera angles are known in Film Noir for being conventionally 'strange'. Tilts, low angle and high angle shots were used to cause disruption and confusion with the audience's perception of the film. These shots are primarily used to create uncertainty amongst viewers so that hidden secrets can be kept secret until the time is right to be released. This next picture is a good example of a high angle shot in a Film Noir scene;

The final convention that I shall discuss is the location. The location of film noir productions are conventionally within a major city. Especially in this shot below, the cityscape makes the character look small and defenseless in comparison to the vast heaving city in front of her. The high angle also contributes to this effect which also relates to film noir conventions. Also, the location adds to the drama of film. For example, with a city being as big as it is gives a conventional detective as the protagonist a much harder and entertaining job (for the audience) for solving a msytery or crime such as a muder. The shot below is from the movie Sin City - a modern take on the Film Noir genre. It shows a very attractive female character looking down on a major city.