Close analysis of 'Film Noir' still





Camera Work:

• Two shot- this shows a realationship between two characters in the film.


• Over the shoulder shot- we see the view point of the character facing away from the camera. As this point of view is the 'villain's, the audience are made to feel guilt, whilst connotations of further suspense are provided for theaudience as 'we' do not know this character's appearance and facial expression.



• Low angled shot- this connotes that the chatacter whose point of view the audience are experiencing, is most dominant in the image and is shown further by the fact this makes the character look taller.



• Medium distance shot- this distance allows the audience to see the facial expression of the character involved in conversation as well as providing more information for the audience by way of dress codes.
• Focus- the camera is focussed on the character who is more in shot. This reinforces the fact it is this characters reactionswe should be observing.
  
  

Mise-en-scene:

• Black and white- connotations of the time period (1950's) and signifies it is a poorer quality early thriller. However this could also have just been an effect used by teh director so as to make the film seem more classical (but doubtful as the film is an oldie!).


• Natural stream of light- the lack of lighting adds to the enigmatic code of being very mysterious, secretive and produces negativity. The lighting reveals only one of the two characters' faces which signifies that the unrevealed character is more villainous and mysterious as the audience do not know exactly who this character is. Also this imples the unseen character has an evil side. All of these points add to the image's enigma code. The lighting looks ambiant such as the sun and the fact it is shining brightly through a small window signifies to me that this is a very cramped room, such as a prison cell.


• The strong background shadow- The long shadow on the background wall accompanied by the strong ambiant lighting contribute to the enigma code. These features highlight the dimensions of the room (boundaries), connoting a great feeling of claustrophobia.


• The plain room and lack of furnishings- these are connotations of an undercover place without character or a place with a lack of emotions.


• One character is wearing a dark
• suit.-This dress code implies superiority and authority, and connotes a clever and swarve character. The dark colour of this suit is also a connotation of evil character.


• The other character is wearing a rainmac/overalls.-In contrast to the above character this dress code signifies a normal 'down to earth' male which we as an audience can predict is probably going to 'save the day'. This could also be a sign of innocence. The rainmac is also very light-appearing white which connotes a good character. -This character is possibly the hero in the film.

People:

• Gender and race- from this image it is clear that the characters are caucasian and the character in focus and more in shot is male. The out of focus character's gender is not clear due to the lighting and camera angle which shows this characters' mysteriousness implying he/she is the 'villain' in the film. Obviously other enigma codes such as the shadows and lack of expression etc. add to the connotations of this character being villainous.
• age of characters- another enigma code is the fact the 'villains' age is unclear. The 'hero's' age is between 25-35 however the distortion from the lighting makes this harder to identify. Although this could imply he is more youthful and stronger than the 'villain' i think that this feature along with the dress codes, suggests that he does not have as much knowlegde as the 'villain'.
• The villain is taller- although this is influenced by the angle of the camera, this is a signifier of dominance and control.
• The characters appear to have no facial expressions or gestures. These gesture codes imply the relationship between the two characters is emotionless. A feeling of hatred?
• The characters are looking at each other. This connotes the seriousness of the scene and could reinforce their dislike for each other. As we see the hero staring at the villaim this could also suggest the hero is planning something and gaining information from the villain.