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.
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