Unit+7+Key+Concepts

=Unit 7 Key Concepts=


 * Make sure you relate the key concepts to the genre of film we are studying - film noir**

__**Film Noir Genre Themes and Concepts**__

 * Film Noir -** Is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s. Film noir is french for "black film" and was introduced into Hollywood films by French critic Nino Frank.


 * Fall Guy -** A Fall Guy is somebody who always ends up receiving the blame for a problem. Someone being held responsible for the actions of another person or group. Referred to someone who "took the fall" for another.


 * Private Detective -** A person who works for him self and is hired to solve mysteries that the police don't get involved. Sometimes there are formal policed detectives that had quit the force. offen times they live in their offices with pull down beds and built in facilities. A good ex, is that Eddy the detective from "Who Framed Roger Rabbit".


 * Existentialism -** A philosophical attitude associated especially with Heidegger, Japers, Marcel, and Sartre, and opposed to rationalism and empiricism that stresses the individual's unique position as a self- determining agent responsible for the authenticity of his or her choices.


 * Inciting Incident -** The occurrence that sets the action of a play in motion, also referred to as the catalyst. Often occurs at the beginning of the film. An example of this could be a murder, a plane crash. or any other drastic event that acts as a hook to drag the viewer in.


 * Fate-** The development of events outside a person's control, it was meant to be. The events in a story lead up to an ending which is shown at the beginning in many film noires


 * Femme Fatale -**A woman of great seductive charm who leads men into compromising or dangerous situations. They use their looks to their advantage. T he femme fatale today is still often described as having a power akin to an enchantress, seductress, vampire, witch, or demon.

**__Cinematography Concepts__**

 * Cinematography -** An art form unique to motion pictures. It involves the use of film or digital imagery, usually with a __movie camera__. Cinematography displays certain angles and shot by the cinematographer to illustate an emotion of the film in a scene. The creation of motion picture images.


 * Cinematographer -**A person whose profession in motion picture photography/director of photography.The title is generally equivalent to director of photography(DP). One photographing with a motion picture camera.


 * Aspect Ratio -** Is the proportional relationship between its width and its height. widescreen movies have a lower aspect ratio than full screen movies.


 * Shadows -** A dark figure or image cast on the ground or some surface by a body intercepting light. Used to set the mood for scenes and to help foreshadow events or characters' attitudes throughout the film.


 * Venetian __Blinds__ -** Basic slatted blinds made of metal or plastic; wooden slats are sometimes used but in the US these are now usually referred to as wood blinds or __bamboo blinds__. They are suspended by strips of cloth called tapes, or by cords, by which all slats in unison can be rotated through nearly 180 degrees. Blinds used in film noire.


 * Voice-over Narration - (explain how it is used in film noir):** Narrator who explains the characters and the setting usually off screen.


 * Deep-focus Cinematography -** A technique using a large depth of field. Depth of field is the range focus of an image from front-to-back**.**


 * Rule of Thirds -** Sometimes known as the Golden Mean, it is a guideline intended to help you when you are uncertain as to the placement of elements in a scene when you are framing the picture.


 * Negative Space -** The space around/between the subjects of an image, sort of like the background. Often produces a silhouette, used to draw attention to the main subject.


 * Contrast -** The difference in color which causes the image to become distinguishable.