The Plot of 'Unlawful'
'Unlawful' follows the life of Stacey, a young female detective in her twenties, who stalks and seduces a rich businessman, before killing him and inheriting all his money. She is then put on the investigating team to track down her ex-husband's killer and so she has to cover up her tracks. Several months later, a new male detective is put onto the case and he is suspicious about Stacey. This results in her putting her seductive charm on him but the film ends before the audience get the chance to find out whether he finds out what she has done, and so essentially it ends on a cliffhanger.
Form
Some typical features of an opening sequence include: music, credits (either put over a blank screen/picture or on top of the action taking place) and dialogue. The opening for 'Man of Steel' (below) features all three of these conventions. In this sequence, voice overs of news reporters can be heard, as well as backing music. The mixture of dialogue and music has the effect of setting up an exciting atmosphere. The credits appear over moving images, allowing the audience to gain knowledge about the background to the story in the title sequence.
1. Femme Fatale Character
Femme fatales are common characters in the neo-noir and film noir genres. They are usually mysterious and seductive and can often manipulate their lovers into doing something dangerous or draw them into deadly situations. They are often able to cover up their true intentions through their feminity, beauty and sexual power, whereby they can easily charm men. For example, Catherine from 'Basic Instinct' (above) is a typical femme fatale character as she manipulates the male detective investigating her for murder into a relationship. She achieves this through her sexual power and appearance. Furthermore, she is able to put on an innocent front, easily deceiving those around her.
How our sequence follows this convention:
Stacey has stalked the man she is about to meet which can be seen by the photos she is looking at whilst she is flirting with him on the phone, suggesting she is not as innocent as she would come across over the phone
2. Low Key Lighting
Low key lighting is a common convention. This lighting creates a strong contrast between the light and dark areas of a shot, hence why prominent shadows are regularly seen. It often uses only one key light which can be controlled with a fill light. It helps to create an ominous and mysterious atmosphere. For example, the low key lighting in 'The Big Sleep' (above) has been used to create a tense atmosphere and hold the audience in suspense, as they anticipate danger. Overall, this has an exciting effect.
How our sequence follows this convention:
In some of the bedroom shots, Stacey's shadow can be seen. ,
How our sequence challenges this convention
To create a feminine atmosphere, we have actually not used low key lighting as we want this to contrast the things that are revealed about her, to make it seem more shocking to the audience
3. Crime
1. Music
The music for film noir/neo-noir films is often both mysterious and exciting. With neo-noir films in particular, the pace of the music can be quite fast but downbeat jazz music is still used, like in the older film noirs.
Our music is fast pace to build tension and the prominent drum beat also helps to create this atmosphere.
2. Titles
We have simple titles over a black background, similar to the titles in 'Black Widow' but ours are white instead of black. The flickering effect that we have chosen reflects our genre and as the titles are in between the shots, excitement is being built up. Here is a comparison of our titles and 'Seven,' the film which inspired our style.
The titles in 'Seven' are snappy and punchy, achieved by the rapid flicker. This has a rather creepy effect and seems fragmented, foreshadowing the corruption within the plot..
Genre Conventions for Film Noir/Neo-Noir
1. Femme Fatale Character
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| Top left across:The Paradine Case, Catherine from Basic Instinct, Kathy from Out of the Past, Bottom left across: Cora from The Postman Always Rings Twice, Gilda, Matty from Body Heat , |
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| The seductive nature of a femme fatale, The Killers 1946 |
Stacey has stalked the man she is about to meet which can be seen by the photos she is looking at whilst she is flirting with him on the phone, suggesting she is not as innocent as she would come across over the phone
2. Low Key Lighting
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| Clockwise:The Big Sleep, The Last Seduction, Out of the Past, Fatal Attraction, The Big Combo , Mulholland Drive |
How our sequence follows this convention:
In some of the bedroom shots, Stacey's shadow can be seen. ,
How our sequence challenges this convention
To create a feminine atmosphere, we have actually not used low key lighting as we want this to contrast the things that are revealed about her, to make it seem more shocking to the audience
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| In our film, Stacey's shadow can be seen but it is not low key lighting |
Crime is a central part to the neo-noir and film noir narrative. Popular types of crimes and criminals that feature in this genre include: murder, bank robberies and con artists. The crime allows lots of characters to be caught up in the action, making it more exciting.
Murder My Sweet - Trailer
L.A. Confidential - Trailer
L.A. Confidential involves the son of a murdered detective seeking revenge and so includes various aspects of crime, including: murder, violence and drugs.
How our sequence follows this convention:
She has a gun which connotes criminal intentions. The numerous passports and identity cards imply she has multiple identities, suggesting she is a fraud. She has been stalking someone which creates ominous foreboding.
How our sequence follows this convention:
She has a gun which connotes criminal intentions. The numerous passports and identity cards imply she has multiple identities, suggesting she is a fraud. She has been stalking someone which creates ominous foreboding.
How our sequence challenges this convention:
No crime has actually been committed in the opening sequence itself.
4. Smart/Formal Dress
Femme fatales often wear tight fitted clothing that gives them sex appeal, so that they can seduce men. The male characters are often rich businessmen or detectives and so they wear smart suits.
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| The Killers, 1946 |
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| Chinatown, 1974 |
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| Stacey from 'Unlawful' |
The dress of Jack Nicholson in 'Chinatown' is extremely smart and classy, that of a wealthy gentlemen. He is wearing a three piece suit, reflecting the expense of the outfit, and the hat signifies his status.This is the typical outfit for the leading male character in film noirs.
Style Conventions for Neo-Noir/Film Noir
1. Music
The music for film noir/neo-noir films is often both mysterious and exciting. With neo-noir films in particular, the pace of the music can be quite fast but downbeat jazz music is still used, like in the older film noirs.
Jazz music from the film noir Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
Opening music to the neo-noir Drive
The opening sequence music in the film 'Drive' is laid back and fairly slow paced but has undertones of mystery, particularly due to the synthesizers. Furthermore, the music echoes in parts of the song, creating an illusive atmosphere.
2. Titles
We have simple titles over a black background, similar to the titles in 'Black Widow' but ours are white instead of black. The flickering effect that we have chosen reflects our genre and as the titles are in between the shots, excitement is being built up. Here is a comparison of our titles and 'Seven,' the film which inspired our style.
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| Titles in 'Seven' |
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| Titles in 'Unlawful' |
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