Binary opposites & Enigma

Binary opposites are pairs which are opposites which are used in film noir to create tension or conflict. An example of these are , black & white, good & evil, life & death and justice & corruption.

A particular film which uses alot of binary opposites is 'The Black Dahlia'.



This image to the opening scene diplays many binary opposites with the white, light buildings against the dark sky. this could also represent the good and bad which is also happening in this particular shot.

Enigma is the mystery of the film such as asking questions which the audience do not know whats happening in the film, but then which are later answered.




In this opening scene it may cause confusion to the audience as they do not know anything about the characters and why the drama in the scene has happened. An example of a question maybe, 'why did the woman get shit in this opening scene?'
this would then probably be answered later in the film.

Chiaroscuro

Chiaroscuro is a term in art for a contrast between light and dark. The term is usually applied to bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. The use of effects representing contrasts of light, not necessarily strong, to achieve a sense of volume in modeling three-dimensional objects such as the human body.



Chiaroscuro is also used in cinematography to indicate extreme low-key lighting to create distinct areas of light and darkness in films, especially in black and white films. Classic examples are The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941) and the black and white scenes in Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker (1979).

by declan cunningham

reference - wikipedia

Discuss the difference between Film noir and L.A noir reference to ‘The Third Man’ and ‘L.A Confidential’

Film noir are films from the late 1940’s, which are based in black and white. The black and white themes of the film are to bring out more of its features to the audience as you can see a lot more with the contrast of black and white lighting. Film noir in this era is associated with a low key black and white visual style. The majority of the films in this genre are about murder, crime, betrayal or mystery which tends to make these films have more suspense and makes the film more ominous. The film noir genre was just made after the Second World War which is the main cause for why most of all these films are set in a depressing manner.
One particular common film of this genre noir film is ‘The Third Man’. This is because the film has most of the characteristics of a general film noir movie, in the way where the film is set, the voice over and the light on dark lighting. ‘The Third Man’ is set in Vienna, scenes are shown at the start of the film which makes the city seem very dark, gothic and mysterious, the way they do this is by showing images of old churches and the way that the dark city seems to contrast with the light sky. The voice over at the start of the film is in a conflicting language which may indicate isolation. The narrator seems to lower his when talking about the darker things which happen around Vienna as well, like the black market. Also when this is happening there seems to be a contrast with the music as it is cheerful and jolly music playing. In ‘The Third Man’ the lighting is very low key, where the key light is around the corner from a very distant shot. The film is very black on white.
Another style of these films is L.A Noir Films. These are practically the same types of films with the same characteristics, but in some way different as well.
The majority of L.A noir films are set in colour unlike the film noir style. L.A noir films are set in the heart of Los Angeles. This could seem odd to the audience as the film noir genre is seen as depressing and dark whereas Los Angeles is associated with sunny beaches and happiness. In these films the audience gets to see more of the darker underside of Los Angeles with the themes of crime and deception like corrupt policemen and as well as the contrasts of the jazz music and the lighting that is used in the opening on the films. The lighting that is used in this style is to create moral ambiguity.
A film in the style of L.A noir is ‘L.A Confidential’. This is about corrupt policemen and Hollywood ‘sleaze’. This style of corrupt policemen is there to confuse the audience as the police are seen as universally good. The film also creates enigma in the opening scene with the good cop/bad cop and with the distinctive looks and voices of the characters.
The film L.A confidential does have some noir conventions such as the styled clothing, flawed heroes, corruption, and femme fatales. The femme fatales in this style of noir are very similar to the film noir style with the femme fatales being seductive and with the ability to hypnotize the male heroes or victim.
The styled clothing is also very similar in the way that both the female and male characters dress. The women tend to dress in something which seems to seduce the male in some way. The males in both of the styles of noir films dress usually quite smart as they are usually policemen or detectives, which tends to be suits or an overcoat of somekind.
A lot about the film noir and L.A noir styles are very similar but also different in many ways as well. Film noir focuses on the more depressed side and darker side of the film noir genre whilst L.A noir is set in a depressing manner but also at the same time the audience gets a happy and jolly sense possibly as the setting is not as dark and dreary as it is in ‘The Third man’. There are also small differences like the style and genre of music used and the contrast of picture with music.

L.A Noir Film Opening Of LA Confidential

Declan Cunningham




The term ‘LA Noir’ in itself is a binary opposite. This is because most people recognize the city of LA in a positive light. For example, LA thinks up images of Hollywood, fame, success, endless beaches and dawn to dusk sunshine. Whereas it contradicts itself in the fact that LA noir brings out more of the themes of darkness like crime and criminal activity. This draws the audience into with the film as it seen as a shock to them as it is a different perspective of LA. One film which is representative of the genre of LA noir is ‘LA Confidential’. The title of the film immediately roots the viewer to the city and therefore the viewer becomes challenged because of the contradiction of ‘LA’ in the title associated with the genre of film noir.
The introduction of the film ‘LA Confidential’ introduces and presents binary opposites such as, black& white, justice & corruption, criminal & police and good & evil. For example in the opening scene the policeman in the car which happens to be outside of a house in which a man is assaulting a woman. This relates to the binary opposite of good & evil as the audience see the policeman as a good guy and the other male character as the bad or evil person judging on what he is doing.

The police universally are supposedly good people; the audience also could be or are slightly confused on whether the policeman dealing with this problem is a good cop or a bad cop as he has a distinctive look and tone of voice to him which could puzzle the audience in which they have doubt. The way that the policeman looks, talks and acts is very sly and unknown, in the way in the first seen where he tear’s the Christmas lights down to create a disruption to the male who is assaulting. This also creates enigma as it is a mystery to the audience on whether the policeman is a good or bad cop which keeps the audience interested. Another binary opposite that maybe used is justice and corruption as the policeman in this scene may seem corrupt due to the way that he acts and talks.
Binary opposites maybe used as it easier as the city is already seen as an active city, and could also be linked with enigma as it could be the defining characteristic of LA noir as appose to other film noir.

Analyse how the opening of Sin City uses film noir conventions and how it sets up audience expectations

Analyse how the opening of Sin City uses film noir conventions and how it sets up audience expectations

The opening of the film Sin City uses many conventions of film noir like the themes of crime, isolation and deception, the setting and the lighting, costumes and props and the voice over, dialogue and script.
The way that the opening scene in Sin City uses the themes of crime, isolation and deception is the way that the lighting creates contrast to create the hidden characteristics which brings out the deception in the characters. The opening scene is dominated by black apart from the bright party in the background which separates the two characters in this opening scene, as it is set at night and in a large dominating urban city it also brings out the insignificance of the two people.
The ways that costumes and props are used in this opening scene are very similar to the way that film noir was used in the 1940’s in the way they use props which create narrative. Iconic props are used like the cigarettes and the gun, and the outfits that both of the characters are wearing are very stylish like in the olden films, as the male is wearing a very dark suit with heavily styled slicked back hair and the female is wearing a bright red dress which we can see which may emphasise the seduction and danger of her which makes her suggest to the audience that she is a femme fatal.
One of the shots in the opening scene of this film is with the two characters together in the background of a big city with the sounds of crime and danger. This makes the city seem more large and dominating and with the light rain which as the scene carries on turns heavier makes the scene become more eerie and unsettling.
The narrator’s voice in this starting scene is very low which may create a sense of more eeriness and makes it more unsettling. In some cases the narrator seems to whisper some of the words that he says which makes the audience think that the two characters are up to no good. The dialogue that is used is makes this opening scene include added intensity to it. Both of the characters try and do create more passion to the conversation in the way that the words are said with more enthusiasm but in small conversation between the characters. The writer of the Sin City uses the script to add a layer of more depth and emotion. This also adds complexity to the two characters as we know nothing about who they are, what they do and more importantly what is going to happen. Furthermore in the opening scene the ratio of the male and the female is very biased. This is based on the face that the female has only a few lines as the male does the majority of the talking. This emphasises to the audience that the female may look vulnerable and weak compared to the male character.

Declan Cunningham