Why This Matters to Cris

Film noir matters to me because it lets us experiment and acts as an example of how inspiration can pave the way for something phenomenal. Classic film noir has taught us that very little is needed to make a compelling, visually stunning story. We can disregard color, special effects, and use a classic point and shoot and DIY effects to create a captivating visual story. After joining this class, I did not realize the impact that noir has had on the industry as a whole and its beginnings with Los Angeles and Hollywood. It is easy to see how this has impacted culture today, from film locations, themes, femme fatales, camera techniques, lighting techniques, etc. So much can be learned from film noir. I never thought I would find myself watching film noir, but the more films I watched, the more I became invested into the genre. Scarlet Street (1945) literally left me with chills because of its captivating story and its use of the city as a maze provides us with an aesthetic masterpiece in which you can truly see each frame as a work of art that took serious planning to set up and shoot. I watched Scarlet Street with my friend who has never seen a noir film ever, and we were both left stunned and speechless with the ending as if we just left the cinema (we were on the couch). I am grateful for film noir now, and I encourage any film lover to dive into a few noir films. It shows you we don’t need all the fancy techniques of modern day cinema to create a visual masterpiece. Recently I watched Joker (2019) for the first time and I could not stop analyzing all of the noir elements in it such as the lighting and dark mood and tone. It was not just the ‘picture’ that was noir-like, but the world that the characters inhabited, was noir. This is what I believe makes a great noir film, is when the world of the film embodies these elements of existentialism and despair, mixed with a femme fatale, you have the recipe for a story that draws in the viewer for a journey of reflection and suspense. I came to love noir through this class and it will forever be an inspiration to me and my work as I plan to go into a career in media. I plan to watch more noir films as well as dive into some neo-noir films as well. With my love for filmmaking and taking this inspiration from noir, it makes me want to help aid in the production of a neo-noir film.
It is important to see the impact noir has had on modern culture, and how if you are able to sit through what many people would call boring today, you can see the genre for its remarkable visual beauty that it embodies. I personally believe more films today need to learn from the visual aesthetic techniques of noir, there was not a single visual unappealing scene in any of these films we watched in class, each frame and scene counted for the production of the bigger picture. Truly a beautiful genre that has undoubtedly left its mark on my life since taking this class. Thanks to Brett.