Film Noir: Still Camera Shots

We have to put together a series of still camera shots of our characters before we shoot the film, and personally I think this will really help us to develop our own characters even further.

I researched many of the film noir women, looking at their make up, hair, fashion and body language so that I could create the same atmosphere in my photographs I will take of Ellen.

This is one of the photographs which are of the most similarity to Ellen and her features. I want to style her hair in this exact manner, and use the simplicity of just eyeliner on the top and a fairly dark lipgloss to create a 'femme fatale' look. The darkness surrounding her makes her light features appear almost angelic, and the shadows created by the lighting shining on her from the right hand side of the frame make her appear mysterious and dangerous, just as a femme fatale should be. I would like to create this kind of effect with my photograph.

This sultry pose is very seductive and the way she is lying down is incredibly suggestive. She has a lot more make up on than the girl in the previous picture, and the opposite effect to the angelic look the previous one entails - her dark features imply a dangerous tone and create the more wary idea about her as a woman instead of an approachable, loving woman. However the lighting surrounding her is lighter than the edges and so suggests that she may be angelic in appearance but have a much darker line of intentions underneath.

I like this photograph because even though the frame is black and a lot of shadows are created, the woman is smiling and looks incredibly approachable, as well as wearing white which is a known symbol of purity and innocence. I love the way the lighting across her varies, signifying that she could be unpredictable, perhaps hiding something underneath her smiling exterior.

This photo is one that shows the usual formal wear of a male in film noir and a cigarette being lit but because it's a woman not a man, it shows her in a state of power, like a femme fatale should be. The flickers of lighting imitate gentle lighting created through some blinds, and the black feature in the corner looks much like it's era and so adds to the darkness of the image.