Looking at Scenes from the Film Noir Genre for Inspiration - 'Double Indemnity'

 The final sequence from my chosen genre that I will analyse for inspiration is from 'Double Indemnity'.

The opening scene and titles contain many elements typical of the film noir genre. The titles include the names of many actors associated with the genre (Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck and Edward G. Robinson) displayed in a font typical of that found in film noir movies. As is typical in title sequences from the genre, the non-diegetic music is sinister and foreboding, creating anxious expectations in the audience. Behind the titles a silhouette of a man can be seen, moving on crutches. This kind of low-key lighting (in this case, backlighting) is common in the genre, reflecting the criminality of the film noir genre. From the silhouette, the spectator can make out the man's costume; a typical suit and fedora hat.

The titles dissolve to an establishing shot of a dimly-lit city street; typical lighting and setting of films from the genre. As a car speeds down the road, the sinister non-diegetic music intensifies as a series of dissolves show the car running a stop sign (suggesting criminality, or that the car is being pursued and the driver is fleeing for their life).

As the car nearly crashes, we can see fog engulfing the street, giving the scene an uncomfortable aesthetic. The man who exits the car looks broken, world-weary (the concierge even comments later, that the man looks 'all-in'), and wears the typical costume of the genre; a long trench coat and a fedora hat. The camera tracks him as he enters an office building, but his body language is sinister, as if he is hiding something from the concierge who lets him in (he clearly recognises him, calling him by name, and lets him in).

The office building is also dimly-lit, and a medium shot of the man shows that he is wearing a suit and tie under his overcoat (again, a typical costume worn by male leads in the genre). In the elevator, chiaroscuro lighting is used, casting ominous shadows on the walls (which are amplified as the camera pans and follows the man as he walks to a darkened office, where the man is silhouetted).

Once inside, we can barely make out the man taking off his coat and moving around; the light coming through the blinds casts strips of light across the scene. When the man turns on a desk lamp, we can see blood from a bullet hole in his shoulder (emphasising a typical theme of the genre, violence and crime). The opening scene creates enigma and mystery for the audience. The man smokes a cigarette (a typical prop of the genre) and the scene ends with the man's voiceover as he appears to make a confession (before we see events leading up to this moment in flashback).