Noir Plot and character types

Crime, usually murder, is an element of almost all film noirs; in addition to standard-issue greed, jealousy is frequently the criminal motivation. A crime investigation—by a private eye, a police detective (sometimes acting alone), or a concerned amateur—is the most prevalent, but far from dominant, basic plot. In other common plots the protagonists are implicated in heists or con games, or in murderous conspiracies often involving adulterous affairs. False suspicions and accusations of crime are frequent plot elements, as are betrayals and double-crosses. According to J. David Slocum, "protagonists assume the literal identities of dead men in nearly fifteen percent of all noir."[158] Amnesia is fairly epidemic—"noir's version of the common cold", in the words of film historian Lee Server.[159] By the late 1940s, the noir trend was leaving its mark on other genres. A prime example is the Western Pursued (1947), filled with psychosexual tensions and behavioral explanations derived from Freudian theory.[160] Film noirs tend to revolve around heroes who are more flawed and morally questionable than the norm, often fall guys of one sort or another. The characteristic protagonists of noir are described by many critics as "alienated";[161] in the words of Silver and Ward, "filled with existential bitterness".[162] Certain archetypal characters appear in many film noirs—hardboiled detectives, femme fatales, corrupt policemen, jealous husbands, intrepid claims adjusters, and down-and-out writers. Among characters of every stripe, cigarette smoking is rampant.[163] From historical commentators to neo-noir pictures to pop culture ephemera, the private eye and the femme fatale have been adopted as the quintessential film noir figures, though they do not appear in most films now regarded as classic noir. Of the twenty-three National Film Registry noirs, in only four does the star play a private eye: The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, Out of the Past, and Kiss Me Deadly. Just four others readily qualify as detective stories: Laura, The Killers, The Naked City, and Touch of Evil. Film noir is often associated with an urban setting, and a few cities—Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Chicago, in particular—are the location of many of the classic films. In the eyes of many critics, the city is presented in noir as a "labyrinth" or "maze".[164] Bars, lounges, nightclubs, and gambling dens are frequently the scene of action. The climaxes of a substantial number of film noirs take place in visually complex, often industrial settings, such as refineries, factories, trainyards, power plants—most famously the explosive conclusion of White Heat, set at a chemical plant.[165] In the popular (and, frequently enough, critical) imagination, in noir it is always night and it always rains.[166]

Top Neo Noir Films

Blade Runner 1982 Ridley Scott Blood Simple 1984 Coen Borthers (Also did Fargo, The Big Lebowski,No Country For Old Men Red Rock West 1992 L.A. Confidential 1997 Curtis Hanson Chinatown 1974 Roman Polanski

Post 1990's NeoNoir Films To watch

Brick-2005 Rian Johnson. On netflix instant Lost Highway-2007 David Lynch. The Usual Suspects-1995 Bryan Singer. Seen it Collateral-2004 Michael Mann. Memento-2000 Christopher Nolan. Seen it The Underneath-1995 Steven Soderbergh L.A. Confidential-1997 Curtis Hanson Seven-1995 David Fincher. Seen it Sin City-2005 Robert Rodriquez. Seen it

Brainstorming list of what makes a noir film for me

1. Camera is usually hip to chest height. 2. Clothing usually has high contrast between dark coat and white shirt. 3. Everyone Smokes 4. Usually raining when outside shots. 5. Stories are usually a darker tone. 6. Character tells about the love of a young woman and how he has never seen that gaze of love across her face. 7. Directional lighting with only a few main sources of lighting. 8. When things are joyful the lighting fills the room. 9. Usually always someone working an angle to get the best of someone. Can be open to the viewer or could be hidden. 10. The main character usually has no family left or very terrible family relationships. 11. Dialogue usually has many layers to it, background information for developing the characters.

BFA Show Layout

Contract

Jacob Pocock Senior Studio Contract My piece will be a live action short. The film could be 5-15 minutes long. This piece will also include the concept, synopsis, concept art, storyboards, and final film. I will be handling the entire production process of the film. I'm not set on a concept yet. I really wish to be sure of what my film will be about and the tones it will take. I would like the film to give some type of message or touch on an issue. I may even manipulate the space where the work will be displayed. The aesthetics will include very interesting compositions with depth of field and lighting taken into consideration. I'm toying with the idea of going full black and white to really push my ability to find good light source and dramatic angles. All these elements should help push the concepts message. The final form of the piece will be a rendered final video for playback on a projector or television of average to larger size. The other elements of the project will be professionally displayed with the film. Production needs include. Cameras, Lighting equipment, photoshop, audio equipment, FCP, audio manipulation software, and tripods. Display needs include. TV or projector and canvas, and a power source to play media, possible dvd or hard drive? (Depending on how playback is done)

Presentation

If you would like to see more of my videos from my presentation please visit my new gadget above ^. It should stream all my content from Vimeo directly to this page. Please visit my portfolio for pictures of my more traditional work and 3d modeling. http://digitalarts.bgsu.edu/portfolios/jpocock/