Technical aspects of Film Noir

Lighting
A French term that translates as 'black cinema', film noir is a style of film making that is largely dependent on light for its effects. The term is used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particualry those that emphasie moral ambiguity and sexual motivation. Noir tends to use low key lighting schemes, producing stark light/dark contrasts (chiaroscuro) and dramatic and ominious shadow patterning. Venetian-blinded are an iconic visual in film noir, windows and rooms and dark claustrophobic, gloomy appearances. Exteriors were often urban night scenes with dark shadows and flashing neon lights. Low key lighting or high contrasting light. White and black cinemotography considered to be one of the essential attributes to classic film noir.

Setting
Settings were often interiors with low key lighting, Venetian-blinded windows and rooms and drak and claustrophobic, gloomy appearance. Exteriors were often urban night scenes with deep shadows, wet asphalt, dark alleyways, rain slicked or mean streets. Story locations were often in murky and dark streets, dimly lit-rooms and low-rent appartements.

Characters 
Heroes or anti-heroes, corrupt characters and villains included down-and-out. Conflicted hardbolied detectives or private eyes, cops, gangsters, government agents, a lone wolf.

Mise-en-scene
Film noir locations used the everyday urban settings to make what was happening seem more real to the viewer. Moved from crime movies only happening at the end wrong of town and dodgy areas to everday locations. Low key lighting and high contrast images. Everyday urban locations.

Narrative
Narratives were frequently complex, maze like and convoluted and typically told with foreboding background music, flashbacks or a series of flashbacks. Witty razor-sharp and acerbic dialogue and or confessional first person voice-over narrative. Amnesia suffered by the protagonist was a common plot device aswell as the downfall of an innocent everyman who fell victim to temptation or was framed.

Camera angles and movements
Dutch camera angles are used in Film Noirs, it is a tilted shot and is most commonly used to portray tension or psychological uneasiness. Also low camera angles are used to create the same effect. The pace of Film Noir films are very slow paced and have very little different camera shot. It would normally consist of one shot with panning or tilting.