Breathing in spirits and mists: la femme fatale in film noir. Noir photo shoot, Noir photo shoot

05.06.2019

Let's pretend you're invited to a noir party. You try in vain to remember what it is. The urge to go to the party is so great that you still have to learn the style.

Noir look

Noir originated in the United States in the mid-20th century. At that time, crime reigned in the country, and directors began to reflect, which, as it seemed to them, covered the whole of America, in black and white films. The plot has always been a detective story. By the way, the films of that time did not imply the classic American "happy ending". A cynical and cold-blooded attitude towards other people's destinies formed the basis of the films.

The image of a woman in the noir style overlaps somewhat with the image of a vamp woman. Perhaps this will make it easier for you to imagine your future image. Noir style in clothes reflects the very essence of the concept - dark, pessimistic, negative, cynical. For men, it is enough to wear black dress pants, a white shirt and a vest. It would be appropriate to complement the image with a plaza and a black hat.

It is worth noting that the image of a girl in the noir style, first of all, creates the appropriate makeup, an open face and eyes. Therefore, you need to give up dark big glasses. Makeup should be done in the style of the 40-50s of the last century.

Noir dresses should be chosen with care so as not to distort the whole image. Clothes need to be selected in a simple cut, no frills, moderately strict. The dress should be black with a minimum of accessories. A string of pearls or some other stone around the neck is enough.

Noir photo shoot

If you want to organize a photo session in this style, then you will need appropriate outfits, dollars or their imitation, weapons. Smoking, of course, is harmful to health, but to achieve a complete image, you can hold a cigarette in your hand in the mouthpiece. If a retro car is captured in the frame, then there will be a win-win and very believable option.

Noir photographs should be in black and white. Although small blotches of red will not hurt at all. It all depends on the professionalism of the photographer. You can simulate a gunfight, a gang showdown, or a "business" round table conversation. Try to play up the burning moment when a person has literally a few seconds to live. It will definitely require good acting skills.

If you are attracted by this style, but you still have a vague idea of it, then watch a couple of American films of the 40-50s, and everything will become clear to you.

Just last month, I sent the manuscript of a new book to publisher Amherst Media. This is a book about classic lighting styles from 1910 to 1960, including famous Hollywood styles that have become iconic. It should be ready for release later this year. One decade in this period is special, it is the forties. They can be called a decade of minimalism in lighting - soft, flat lighting has been replaced by dark, contrasting, dramatic images that are romantic in their own way.

Many portraits, especially those of men, were very dark. Depending on their position and close-up, they could be cold and ruthless, or powerful with a touch of vulnerability. Below is a short excerpt from the book.

If you've been hired to do a portrait for a government official, for a press release, or just for a guy on the street who wants an impressive portrait, then 40s-style lighting is fine. The style features very deep shadows with almost no detail, so additional lighting is required to indicate the shape or outline of the body parts that are in the shadow.

We shot the photo in 1940s clothes to keep the style of the book, but this style would look good in modern clothes too.

In the 40s, minimum fill light was the standard; in photography, unlit areas were just as important as lit areas. The shape of the object must be present, at least in the form of a silhouette against a lighter background. This marked the beginning of the noir style.

For the first series of shots, I put one flash on the horizontal bar at the top to illuminate the background, making a roll of blackened aluminum foil (Cinefoil) for it, bending it so that a triangular spot appears on the background behind the chair in which the model will sit.

I used a 25-degree honeycomb portrait dish as the main light, setting it about three feet to the left of the model. I didn’t raise it very high, so as not to get deep shadows from the brow ridges, hiding the eyes.

Once the model was seated and positioned, I made a number of changes, such as a hint of a smile on the stern face. The result is both powerful and mysterious.

Then I asked the model to turn her head slightly to the right, towards the main light. This allowed some light to his eye and cheek on the shadow side. I love this look because it adds a little friendliness to the photo, but the nose shadow is too wide for a modern look. You can raise the main light a little and even move it closer to the camera to make the black and white drawing more modern.

I wanted to take a second series of shots where the face would look softer. From the point of view of psychology, if someone deviates from you, then he does not pose a threat, especially if he sits in a comfortable position in a chair.

After removing the snooze from the background light, I raised it higher and changed the angle so that the light falls down and closer to the model. I also moved the main light closer to the model, less than two steps away. It is located just above the upper part of the armrest of the chair.

Since the shaved head will be closer to the light source, it will become the brightest part of the frame. I suspended a small piece of black foam board with a flexible clip to shade the top of the head a bit and bring the focus to the eyes. Notice that his right eye is at the intersection of the thirds lines.

I stepped back a little and took a wider shot. With his fingers clasped together, he is the ultimate Hollywood persona, powerful and confident. In addition, he can be mistaken for the image of any villain from the films of those times.

I wish you good shots!

The cinematic style “film noir” is one of the most popular among photographers and designers today.

Lily Cole in a photo shoot for ELLE magazine

This style is so aesthetic and, at the same time, has such an interesting inner dramatic content that it attracts the attention of many artists.

For those who do not know what kind of beast this is, this "film - noir", Wikipedia gives the following definition: "Noir (fr. Film noir -" black film ") - a direction in American cinema of the 1940s - early 1950s years, which captured the atmosphere of pessimism, mistrust, disappointment and cynicism inherent in American society after the Great Depression and during the Second World War. I'd like to add that, as a rule, these are films with a criminal plot.

Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Beckall in "To Have Or Not To Have"

The men in these films are brutal, more often than not, gloomy types (private detectives, gangsters, just dubious personalities) who are not devoid of charm. Indeed, they were played by the most charismatic actors of that time: Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Bert Lancaster, Henry Fonda, Jean Gabin ...

Film noir characters usually wear a trench coat and an unused soft hat.

From the point of view of morality, everything is not easy with them. It's hard enough to figure out - a positive hero, or a negative one.

A still from the film by A. Hitchcock "Bewitched". Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck.
This film is also known for the fact that Dali did the dream scene there.

"The women in these films tend to act as deceitful characters who cannot be trusted; on the other hand, they are the ones who motivate the actions of the male protagonists" (Wikipedia).

These are incredible beauties with chiseled figures, long legs and luxurious hair. They are wrapped in sexy, translucent, finest silks and lace - "Chantilly".

Goddesses who do not know everyday problems and live only by passion. But for all their perfection - there are practically no smiles on their faces, a dangerous light shines in their eyes, plucked eyebrows are arrogantly raised, and their bright, sensual mouth is tightly compressed.

These are calculating, attractive females who use men for their own selfish (often criminal) purposes. Their beauty, tenderness and femininity of outfits are a cobweb into which they lure gullible men.

John Galliano, inspired by these images, made a collection of clothing "film noir"
(Christian Dior Channels Film Noir for Spring 2010)

Also, for "Dior", and in the same style - "noir" director Olivier Dahan shot a commercial for "Black Lady" starring Marion Cotillard. For the video I want to say a special thank you to the friend maelgon who writes wonderful film reviews, uploads portfolios of film artists and makes very funny animated films.

This genre is attractive not only for its complex images. Another film noir is interesting in terms of its stylistic features.
The frames in these black and white motion pictures are very graphic due to the contrasting light and shade and the presence of horizontal or oblique stripes of the thrown blinds.

Faces are usually not fully highlighted, and sometimes the character is completely in the shadow, and we see only its outline.

Another technique characteristic of this style is the presence of smoke, diffused fog in the frame. Or the reflection of the faces of the heroes in the mirrors.

The main action itself usually takes place at night or in the dark.

And a rare film noir does without huge, frightening shadows. These are, of course, not all tricks, but some of the most popular.

"Unlucky day. And a week. And a month. And a year. And life. Damn her "© Charles Bukowski, Waste Paper

After a long hiatus, I decided that it was worth continuing to talk about genres. Yes, these are not the most read articles on craftkino, but I'm sure sooner or later they will come in handy for those who decide to properly understand everything related to genre directions. Especially considering the fact that at the moment there are practically no systematized Russian-language materials on this topic.

Today we will focus on the second genre, in which I am as good at my knowledge as in. I'm interested in the noir genre. That is why you were greeted by such a desperate quote at the beginning of the article. Below I will explain why I used it.

What is noir?

The name of the genre comes from a French phrase film noir ("Black film"). However, all this is encyclopedic information. You will recognize them from any article on the Internet. Especially considering how fashionable noir aesthetics has become lately. But the shell isn't everything. We will try to get into the essence of the phenomenon. In turn, I will try to present my thoughts in such a way that the information can be practically applied when developing your script and / or film.

What is noir in the first place? Here we are helped by a quote from "Waste Paper", because it reflects the views of the world of most of the heroes of noir. Noir is a mood. Therefore, the first thing to understand when developing such a project is that the form is as important as the content, and even more important (in most cases). What are the features of this form? What is the beauty of style?

The whole dance began with The Maltese Falcon in 1941, based on the novel by Dashil Hammett. And the very first film noir immediately set almost all the plot stereotypes of the genre.

The Maltese Falcon immersed us in the atmosphere of a gloomy metropolis. Almost all the action took place at night, in hotels and offices. The plot was twisted beyond the norm, which distinguished the story from an ordinary detective. The picture was literally bursting with an overwhelming amount of biting dialogues. The main character, private detective Spade, is a hardened cynic with very dubious moral guidelines. And, of course, the femme fatale was present, who is really only interested in money.

Later, Billy Wilder added Double Belay, Sunset Boulevard and Ace in the Sleeve to his possible arsenal with deliberately pretentious voiceover and time jumping (the first two films start at the end and then tell how it came to that).

His films also showed that the plot does not have to revolve around gangsters, police officers and private detectives.

The hero can be anyone: for example, an insurance agent, a journalist or a screenwriter (as in the above noirs of Wilder).

Noir, its features

So, if we analyze the overwhelming number of films, the following elements of noir can be distinguished.

Darkness of the atmosphere. Night, abundance of shadows, contrasts, smoke, fog, rain or all together.
The story is set in places where theoretically dark or illegal things can happen (hotels, offices, casinos, brothels, bars, prisons, etc.)
The hero is mostly a cynic (Humphrey Bogart from "The Maltese Falcon" set a real trend) and does not mind getting his hands dirty for the sake of his usually selfish goals.
Positive characters are absent, as such. Everyone has their own foulbrood.
Lively dialogue reminiscent of a shootout.
The secondary nature of the plot, as well as its intricacy, which often reflects the psychological state of the hero.
The presence of the femme fatale image.

I think a screenwriter needs to understand the difference between a detective story and a film noir. In a detective story, the main thing for you is to answer the question "What happened?" (Who killed? Who stole? Etc.).

Noir, by and large, doesn't give a damn about it. In the classic film "Deep Sleep", for example, during the course of the plot, a whole character disappeared, and as you know, even the author of the script himself did not remember where he had put it. Did this make the film worse? Paradoxically, no!

In noir film, the main thing is character and style. Plotly, he answers the question "To what bottom will the hero fall, and can he rise from it?" If you are doing noir, and there are no bright personalities there, and everything is not mannered enough, you can be sure that the picture will be unsuccessful.

It is also worth noting that noir film is characterized by pessimism. Accordingly, if you suddenly decide to tell a cheerful story in noir, forget it. I don't know of a single good glowing optimistic noir. Better to choose a different aesthetic direction.

Of course, my observations about the genre are not law. Moreover, in modern cinema, pure noir is practically not found anywhere. Since the 70s, many directors and screenwriters deliberately distort or play with the postulates of noir (this is how the term "neo-noir" appeared, and this is a topic for a separate material). But in order to transform, it would be nice to have a good understanding of the basics.

Personally, I am fascinated by both noir and its direct heirs from the very first moment when I came into contact with this style.

I hope the readers will also find their fans of the genre, and maybe we'll read a couple of exciting scripts or watch a few films in the noir genre.

To yesterday's talk about films - noir. I remembered that I had a post on this topic. Who cares, read))