Film Noir

Film Noir: Screenplay Writing Commentary

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For this short film, I based my work on the film noir style. Specifically during the 40’s – 50’s, when film noir movies were well known for their unique recognizable characters such as the ‘hard boiled’ detective and the femme fatale. These characters had a reputation for speaking in stylized dialogue and acting in quite predictable ways that most film noir movies showcased. To quote Raymond Borde and Etienne Chaumeton, they define film noir as “oneiric, strange, erotic, ambivalent, and cruel.”

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My filmmaker intentions were to focus more on the characterization in my screenplay. I wanted to imitate the well-known ‘hard boiled’ detective attitude of not being a very pleasant character but still showing signs of vulnerability, especially in the presence of a woman. This type of character was heavily based on Walter Neff from “Double Indemnity” (Billy Wilder, 1944) and Mike Hammer from “Kiss Me Deadly” (Robert Aldrich, 1955). For the femme fatale, I wanted to focus more on her awareness of her sexuality. Femme fatales are usually the driving force of the plot in many film noir movies, and those movies usually end in violence because of her. I didn’t want to focus on the violent side but rather focus more on how the femme fatale has more power over the detective because of her sexuality. My femme fatale was based on Phyllis Dietrichson from “Double Indemnity” (Billy Wilder, 1944) I wanted to imitate how she was very aware of her sexuality and how she used that to her advantage, making men work for her own personal gains.

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During pre-production, I did research on what the environment is usually like in film noir movies. I liked the setting of the detective’s office and based my screenplay on Double Indemnity. Noah Williams, the detective in my film is not very organized and I showed that by writing “The office looks pretty normal, with papers and pens scattered all over the table.” Most film noir movies feature characters drinking alcohol, I wanted to have that element in my film but the actors in my film were not allowed to drink, so I used apple cider vinegar. To further show Noah’s character I wrote notes in my script to help the actors act in the way I was visualising in my head. For example “Noah takes off his hat and trench coat then sits on his chair lazily, and puts his feet on the table.” I also addressed the cinematographer “Cinematographer should show a shot with the entire office to see what atmosphere Noah works in to see some of this personality” I wrote this to make sure the cinematographer showcased shots that would help the plot and the audience to understand what type of character Noah is. Regarding the typical stylized speech in many film noir movies, I also added that element into the screenplay by writing lines such as “That disgusting feeling of poisoned dread falls deep in my stomach.” and “But the witch standing in front of me had already cast a spell.”

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For the femme fatale, Sasha. I wanted to her to be very aware of her sexuality, during her first appearance I wanted her to seem innocent but still dangerous. I showcased this in the film by making the actress wear a black dress as the colour black usually has dark connotations. Sasha uses her sexuality to meet her own personal gains, this is proven when she says “I’m here to make a deal. You didn’t expect my assistance to come without a price did you?” offering to help Noah but not without a price. To show her sexuality I wrote “Quite a foolish decision don’t you think? A young attractive woman alone with so many tempting dresses.” One other aspect I wanted to put into the screenplay was how women in film noir movies are usually objectified. I reflected this by telling my cinematographer to pan up from her legs and not show her face when she first walks into the office. Other than making Sasha aware of her sexuality, I also wanted to give her some authority and power. In many film noir movies, the police and law usually are not the protagonists and ignore their job. In my screenplay I’ve written Sasha in a way showing how she knows more about the cities crimes more than the police and how that knowledge helps her with Noah’s case and her personal gain. I showed this by making Sasha say “I have eyes and ears all over this rotten city. I honestly think I do a better job at keeping tabs on the city’s crimes better that the police themselves.” To research for the plot I had to find places where a person married into wealth would live in. After asking my parents and other people that knew Hong Kong well, I used the internet to find houses in Repulse Bay, an area where housing is quite expensive. Other than that I also had to look for rural places such as Lantau Island and Hamilton Street for the information Sasha gives Noah.

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