Film noir translates to 'black film' or 'dark film'. It is a cinematic term which mainly describes stylish Hollywood crime dramas; specifically the ones which emphasise cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. The classical time period is generally regarded as extending from the 1940s- the late 1950s. in that particular era, film noir was associated with a low-key black and white visual style . Film noir has specific character types. One of the characters is a woman who is seen as seductive and she usually charms the protagonist but sometimes leads the protagonist to dangerous situations. The protagonist is a male- he is often trapped by the woman, putting him in danger. Chiaroscuro is used in film noir; it is a type of lighting which creates a strong contrast between light and dark. The boldness of the contrast affects the whole composition . Also, in film noir, chiaroscuro creates striking hyper- real visuals. VIDEO: Film noir This clip fits in the film n