Neo Noir

After having looked closely at the conventions of a film noir, as a class we looked at three different Neo-Noir opening title sequences and identified the differences and similarities in a typical Film Noir and a Neo -Noir.

The first OTS we looked at was from a series previously shown on channel four called Red Riding and it was set in the year 1974. This OTS out of all three was the one that fitted the conventions of a film noir the best.

Similarities to film noir

• It begins very dark, when the little girls body is shown and the white wings contrast with the black
• We are introduced to the anti-hero, he is a newspaper reporter who has just failed to make it in London, on top of that his father has just died, also, he seems to have a secret
• Our anti-hero is shown with a gun
• The narrative seems to involve crime - a missing girl
• Most shots used are very simple, fade in and fade out shots
• There is a lot of desaturated, monochrome colours which are mainly browns
• There is a voice over of the anti - hero which makes us side with him as we are going to be seeing things from his point of view

Differences to film noir:

• an acoustic guitar is used in the music
• a scene is filmed in a rural location, (Yorkshire) in the country side rather than a city

The second OTS we looked at was from a film called Blade Runner.

Similarities to film noir:

• There is a law enforcement guy
• Smoking
• There are shadows used on the face
• There is a lot of darkness

Differences to film noir:

• The film itself is a science fiction, there is no sense of realism and it is set in the future. In the begging of the OTS we also see flying cars
• There is a lot of electric sound used such as drowns of machines
• as entrance to the OTS we see a destopian urban city landscape, this is followed by bright explosions

The final OTS we looked at was Mulholland Drive.

Similarities to film noir:

• Slow music is used to create tension
• Femme fatale is introduced - wearing bright red lipstick and looking mysterious. She is threatened by two male's
• Crime storyline (gun)
• Lots of darkness
• Slow driving, contrast of speed and colour
• Close up shots are used on the femme fatale's face

Differences to film noir:

• City scape is shown
• There are two stories being introduced - Jazz music is played when introducing the first character, a woman dancing and the music is fast and the light is bright to represent her situation. She is blonde and seems innocent and bubbly. The darkness of the femme fatale is introduced by dark lighting and slow music to create the tension, there is also a crash in which the femme fatale survives
• Audience is left wondering whether there are two sides to the femme fatale or if the blonde character is a female anti hero