film influences

films that i have drawn influnece from and why include;

modern films

sin city- the use of shadows and darkness perfectly excentuates characters, the area you need to be scene is lit and everywhere else is dark which perfectly gives the sense of mystery, something i wish to emulate in my film. the voiceovers in the form of an inner monologue are also interesting, i am thinking of including this in my film in the place of dialogue.

gangster squad- the lead protagonists character, the way he plays the hardboiled cop who will single handly take down the mafia is a cool character i could potentially use in my film.

older films
dick tracy- the stereotyping of the characters and how they were played, i feel this will look good in my film.

stereotypes of a film noir

there are many stereotypes in a film noir, most of which i hope to include to really give the feel of then genre and that 1940's influence.

plot and settings

the plot for a film noir follows many stereotypes. the themes of the film useually revolve around a crime boss' greed or a characters jealously towards another characters standing, the characters are useually heavily flawed and not content with there lot in life. the protagonists are often double crossed or implicated in situations the villain has been involved in, there are false accusations and always a feeling of mistrust even amongst friends. amnesia is said to be the common cold of film noir as it is so heavily prevelant.
they are tales of deception played out in the seedy underworld of big cities, places assoicated with the mafia type characters, such as gambling dens, bars and city streets. they are city life dramas revolving around crime.

morality and tone

the general tone of a film noir film is downbeat and somewhat black, often pessismistic. the characters find themselves in unwanted situation which they have not caused themselves but are tasked with resolving. they face many problems throughout and often doomed to fail from the start. the outcomes of the film are useually bleak and do not have the happy ending feel. vice if often the theme of film noirs and seems to go unpunished often flaunted, they even have the protagonist have the same vices as villains, this shows a similarity between characters which blurs the line of morality and what is good and bad.  the overall tone of the film is that of hopelessness.

character types

detective/private eye
the protagonist of a film noir is usually a flawed former or current lawman, they often have very distinguishing character traits. stereotypically they are hard boiled and have an uncertain history that is revealed throughout the film and usually contributes to the plot in some capacity. they usually play the role of literal dead men. more often than not they have a problem with authority that halts there progress. they are also portrayed as heavy smokers or drinkers more often than not. this character often is reluctant to answer the call of adventure. the character is usually middle aged.
how i will use this character
this character will play the largest part in my film, i will have him following the villain throughout the piece, always one step behind due to his flaws from the past which i will reveal throughout the film, this character will have ties to both the ditsy dame and the femme fatale and this will play a large role in the plot. i am going to make the character older and rugged, hardened to life and having a problem with morality and taking up the call to adventure, also having a poor reaction to the equilibrium.

femme fatale
the femme fatale usually is the antagonist or contributes to the antagonist in some way. they are portrayed as sexy seductress types who can make men ad hear to them, often coming into conflict with the detective in this way. they are commonly shown as being incapable of looking after themselves initially only to reveal a malicious, sometimes murderous character trait later in the plot.
the femme fatale can often be the anti hero of the piece though, starting off the bad guy and then coming around in terms of morality but still maintaining there solo disposition. this character breaks the stereotype of women in film and gives them a strong female character. they often have traits of jealousy towards others.
how i will use this character
i am going to have this character as my solo antagonist, they are performing the crime against the ditsy dame character, the motive of this crime is jealousy and to gain control of the protagonist in some capacity.

ditsy dame
the ditsy dame character or damsel in distress, takes the princess role amongst the character archetypes, they are usually the prize of the protagonist or person they are tasked with helping in the film. the character is usually portrayed as being pretty but unaware of this, they are inept and seemingly incapable of looking after themselves, but have a strong sense of morality. they can either play major or minor parts in the film and have ties to the protagonist or antagonist, they are not often stand alone characters. they are usually the victim in some capacity.
how i will use this character
i am thinking of using this character as the victim of my villain; the femme fatale, i am going to have this as a small part but integral to the plot, the death or capture of this character will be my heroes call to action and she will have ties to him.

there are many other characters such as the corrupt cop, but these are the 3 main characters i am going to focus on.

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